A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
by FlyAndDontLookBack
Summary: They say a picture is worth a thousand words. And sometimes, those thousand words can change someone's life. Artist!Kuroko. (AKA, in which Kuroko is an amazing artist and people who unwillingly get dragged into his home experience something life changing). Chapter 5: Himuro Tatsuya
1. Hanamiya Makoto

**Here is the new story :)**

**Ok, so a few heads up before you guys delve into the story:**

**1\. This will completely ignore the time schemes. I'm going to upload the characters the order in which I want to write them at. So, for example, one chapter could be after the winter cup, and the next could be in the time when Seirin beat Kaijo at a practice match. I will put the time in which the chapter will be at, but I'm saying this now so you guys don't get confused**

**2\. It is highly likely that the characters, aka victims, will be out of character. One because the plot demands it, and two because I just can't get out of my comfort zone to write really mean characters (cough cough Hanamiya, Haizaki etc) So, forgive me if I can't really write these types of characters well and let us hope that i will be able to write them better in the near future**

**3\. The portraits/paintings that I will mention in each chapter are pictures I found on the Internet. To give you guys a better perspective on what the victims will be witnessing, I'll put the links up both at the end of the chapter and at my profile. Just remember to take away the spaces if you're too lazy to click on my profile and find it there. There will sometimes be more than one painting the character will witness, so head up**

**I think that's all for now, and if I remember more, I'll probably just write the others in the other chapters.**

**So, without further ado, here is the chapter!**

* * *

**Edited: The conclusion to Hanamiya's story**

* * *

_**Title: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words**_

_**Rating: T**_

_**Pairings: None (unless you want there to be)**_

_**Time frame: A few days after the Seirin VS Kirisaki Daiichi match**_

_**First Victim: Hanamiya Makoto**_

* * *

Hanamiya Makoto couldn't believe his eyes. There he had been, running away from the seniors who had been 'persuaded' to quit the team, when he stumbled upon an unknown road that was dark as midnight. The only thing lighting the road was a small beam, as if a light was turned on from far away. He had decided to follow the light's direction, in hopes of finding some shelter since he obviously couldn't go back to his home with the seniors wanting his blood. When he had finally encountered where the light was coming from, he froze, bringing him to this situation. The house in front of him - actually, house was an understatement. It was one of the most luxurious mansions Hanamiya had ever seen, and he had seen many photos on the internet. He gulped, his guilty pleasure of money rising, and was about to take one step forward to admire the mansion even further when the door suddenly opened and came out a person Hanamiya never expected to see.

Why the hell was Kuroko Tetsuya coming out of the house with a garbage bag?

Hanamiya looked at Seirin's phantom sixth man with shock as said player was currently struggling to take out the trash. Hanamiya then came to the conclusion that Kuroko couldn't possible own such a house and this was just a part-time job he had taken to earn some extra money.

That is, that was what Hanamiya thought until a maid came out as well and accidentally bumped into Kuroko. When she finally saw the teal-haired boy, she bowed and apologized immediately.

"I'm so sorry, Tetsuya-sama!" The maid distressed and Hanamiya blanched for a full five seconds.

'_Tetsuya-sama?'_

"It is alright, Nakashima-san." Kuroko replied and reassured the maid, now known as Nakashima, who was currently shaking visibly.

"You do not have to refer to me so formally, Tetsuya-sama! And what are you doing?" She suddenly asked, noticing the garbage bag in Kuroko's hands.

"I was taking out the trash." Kuroko answered simply and the maid sighed.

"Tetsuya-sama, you know that you can just order us to do it." She exasperated and Kuroko shrugged.

"It is my trash. I should be responsible for it." Kuroko reasoned and the maid took the garbage bag from him.

"Tetsuya-sama, we are grateful that you don't want to bother us much. But this is our job. Please let us do it." She said and took the bag from Kuroko's hands. She then started to drag the heavy looking trash to the backyard. Hanamiya saw Kuroko looking at the disappearing maid with blank eyes before sighing to himself.

Kuroko was about to go back inside when both Hanamiya and Kuroko jumped at the loudening shouts. Hanamiya cursed and was about to run once more when his eyes met Kuroko's. Kuroko tilted his head before registering the more comprehensible voices.

"You're fucking dead, Hanamiya! You understand that?"

"Wait until I get my hands on you, little brat!"

"Dibs on ripping his head apart!"

Kuroko's eyes widened slightly before running to the front lawn and opening the ominous looking gate.

"Please come in." Kuroko said with his stoic voice and Hanamiya was about to decline in his usual snarky voice but was then pulled inside. He saw Kuroko holding his wrist tightly and before he knew it, he was inside the mansion.

Nakashima, who had just returned from taking out the trash, looked confused as to why Kuroko had just brought in a stranger when she herself heard the threats and shouts from outside. She raise her eyebrow at the stranger and Hanamiya just shrugged.

"And who might this be?" She asked, suspicious.

"He is one of my basketball opponents." Kuroko answered and though Nakashima gave Hanamiya a skeptical look, she sighed, giving up with trying to understand her boss's son.

"And I believe he will be staying for the night?" She then asked and Hanamiya looked at the maid with wide eyes.

"What?" He started to say but was cut off by Kuroko.

"Yes, he will. If it won't be any trouble, you would mind preparing the guest bedroom?" Kuroko asked politely and Nakashima smiled. Who would have thought that a boy with so much power and money could be so polite and humble?

"Of course, Tetsuya-sama." Nakashima then bowed and left the scene. It was then that Hanamiya registered that he was in a mansion with one of his most hated basketball opponents and he vehemently started to protest.

"I am not staying for the night with the likes of you!" Hanamiya revolted but Kuroko just pointed at the clock, which at the moment was pointing to 10:45.

"It is far too late for you to roam at night, Hanamiya-san. Besides, I doubt those people who were threatening to, as they said, rip your head off, are going give up on searching for you until morning. Even though I find you a despicable person, I cannot just leave the person alone and helpless when I know I can do something about it." Kuroko said bluntly as Hanamiya let out a rude noise at Kuroko's comment.

"You think I'm helpless?" Hanamiya sneered, eyebrows furrowing in anger, but Kuroko stared at him blankly before answering.

"Anyone would be helpless in this case. Please cooperate for today." Kuroko said and Hanamiya looked like he wanted to protest further. However, just as he was about to, another maid came in with an enormous package in her arms.

"Tetsuya-sama, your order has arrived!" She said enthusiastically and Kuroko bowed.

"Thank you for bringing that in. Would you mind leaving it in my room? And be careful. I accidentally spilled some paint on the floor that I have not yet cleaned." He added and the maid's eyes widened.

"Mou, Tetsuya-sama, you should know by now that we can clean that up for you. It's our job."

"It is my fault for being so careless."

"Even so. We'll clean it up immediately." Kuroko looked like he wanted to say something about it but the maid shushed him before going up the white and gold stairs.

"What was that? Porn?" Hanamiya snickered and Kuroko did not look amused for a second.

"They are materials that I needed. I am glad it came earlier than expected." Kuroko answered vaguely before motioning Hanamiya to come upstairs with him.

"The guestroom is upstairs. Nakashima-san must be done by now." Said maid was descending from the stairs.

"The room is ready, Tetsuya-sama." She bowed before leaving. Hanamiya was still very reluctant to go with Kuroko but his guilty pleasure as well his curiosity was gnawing at him with immense strength. So, eventually, he agreed to follow the smaller boy.

They had not even reached the guestroom and Hanamiya felt like he was in paradise. The hallway was shining brightly with chandeliers barely dangling from the ceiling and the walls were decorated with paintings that were ecstatically breath-taking. For a moment, Hanamiya wondered who had painted them for they were originals that he had never seen before, and he had seen many when he was younger. He was about to ask Kuroko about them but stopped at the last second. Just what was Hanamiya doing, being all buddy-buddy with Kuroko? He hated him, as well as the rest of Seirin. Kirisaki Daiichi was just defeated days ago and yet here Hanamiya was, agreeing to sleep in the same roof with the one man who had caused this whole commotion in the first place.

Just as he was about to back out of this whole situation, Kuroko stopped in front of a door and opened to reveal a room that may as well been bigger than his whole house. Hanamiya's eyes widened significantly and Kuroko gestured him to go in.

"I hope this room is to your liking. This room is normally for father's business partners but father is currently in Europe, so there will be no guests at the moment. Unfortunately, the bathroom in this room is out of order, so you will have to use the one at the end of the hall. Please have a pleasant night." Kuroko explained and walked away, remembering to close the door behind him.

Hanamiya took this time to inspect the room with complete awe. He walked hesitantly before outright running around the massive guestroom. The bed was covered with curtains that made it look kingly and around it stood sofas and chairs that looked antique yet modern at the same time. The ceiling, naturally, had a chandelier hanging and the lights gleamed with specks of gold reflecting a big mirror that was on the wall. Hanamiya took a 360 turn and finally collapsed on the bed, which was soft and unbearably comfortable.

Had it not been for his guilty pleasure for money and luxury like this, Hanamiya would have walked out immediately.

The bed took ahold of him and he was seconds away to passing out - he had been running away from his seniors for hours - but a painting on the wall caught his eye at the last second. He, with much difficulty, departed from the bed and walked over to the alluring painting. It was a portrait of a graceful looking woman with luscious white hair and a perfect face; perfectly curled eyelashes, fully puckered red lips, and green eyes that could capture one's soul with just one look. However, Hanamiya could detect that there was a hint of sadness in the woman's eyes, even though she was smiling brightly. His hand unconsciously reached to the hand that was plastered on the painting as well, and somehow, behind all snark and arrogance, his heart skipped a beat.

What was happening to him?

He immediately released his hand from the painting with force and stumbled back, now scared of the painting. He swallowed a lump in his throat and crawled to the heavily cushioned bed. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and tossed around the bed before finally getting to the position he desired.

His last thought before falling into a deep sleep was how a painting, a lifeless, meaningless object, could make him feel this way. As if the painted woman had single-handedly opened Pandora's box that was his heart with ease.

* * *

It was long over 3 in the morning when Hanamiya had the sudden urge to go to the bathroom. He cursed when opened his eyes because he hadn't had such a peaceful sleep in a long time. However, nature called and Hanamiya had no choice but get up and go. He stumbled into the room's bathroom but remembered at the last second that it was out of order and the bathroom he would have to use would be all the way down the hall. At first Hanamiya decided that it wasn't worth leaving the bed and he would just wait until it was completely morning, but after a few minutes, he couldn't take it anymore and barged out of the room in search for the godforsaken bathroom.

Once he was done, he felt refreshed and sauntily started to walk back to the guestroom when he caught a small gold light beaming from the corner of the hallway. Curious, he quietly walked to the end of the corner and peered his head behind the wall to see where the beam of light was coming from. His eyes laid on a closed door that had the light seeping through the crack at the bottom of the door and Hanamiya's curiosity peaked.

Cautiously, he tiptoed over to the ominous door and turned the doorknob gently. He mentally sighed in relief that whoever was in that door did not notice yet, and he carefully turned the doorknob all the way and pushed the door slightly so that he could see who the mysterious person was.

His eyes widened dramatically at the scene before him.

"Hanamiya-san?" Kuroko's voice snapped him out of his thoughts and Hanamiya, completely unlike him, started to stutter an excuse. However, he couldn't help but gaze at the mess that was Kuroko's room. Half of the room was covered with newspapers everywhere, even the walls and parts of the ceiling, and most of the newspapers were damaged with various paint colors, ranging from the basic red and blue to mixtures that did not even have names. Kuroko himself looked as if he was hit by the tornado of paint as his face showed signs of dried paint and his apron ruined by the variety of un-matching splotches.

And then, his eyes stopped at the hanged paintings that covered the rest of Kuroko's room. His heart skipped the same beat and Hanamiya clutched it, almost painfully.

"Hanamiya-san?" Kuroko asked once more and Hanamiya finally looked at the phantom sixth player.

"You… You drew the portrait, didn't you? The woman in the guestroom." He managed to say as his heart grew tighter.

"I did." Kuroko said slowly, unable to comprehend why Hanamiya was acting like this.

"Let me in. I need to… I need to clear something up." Hanamiya gasped out and pushed his way through, making Kuroko stagger a bit to get out of his way. He rushed to one of the paintings that was hanging on the wall and saw an intricately painted shadow in the middle of a ray of light, penetrating the shadow as if it were trying to make an opening in the darkness. He choked on air as he went to the next one. And the next one. And the next one.

Each made his heart break further.

And finally, just when he couldn't take it anymore, he saw a portrait of a face he knew so well.

"Kiyoshi...?" Hanamiya whispered, his voice strained. Kuroko just stared at the Kirisaki Daiichi player with a blank look.

"Why? Why do you have Kiyoshi here?" He asked as he collapsed to the ground. Kuroko didn't move to help him up or to even comfort him. He stayed uprooted in his place, only observing him.

"He is one of the people I respect the most. He is also the one who encouraged me to keep improving, even though I believed that I wouldn't be able to do it. If it were not for Kiyoshi senpai, Seirin would not be where it is today." Kuroko explained impassively and Hanamiya felt a sudden rage that even he could not explain.

"Then why? Why does he have that sad look in his eyes?" He raged. Kuroko tilted his head as he looked at the portrait himself.

"I see no sad look, Hanamiya-san. That is just your interpretation. It may be that you see a sad look because of how you feel like inside." Kuroko said and Hanamiya stopped moving.

'_I see a sad look because of how I feel inside?'_

"Hanamiya-san, were you truly happy when you hurt Kiyoshi senpai?" Kuroko asked but Hanamiya couldn't answer.

'_How do I feel inside?'_

"Do you truly feel happy with the misery of others?"

'_Am I sad?'_

"Do you truly enjoy hurting others?"

'_I don't know. I just don't know.'_

"Hanamiya-san?" Kuroko finally started to move to where Hanamiya was and when the Kirisaki Daiichi player felt a hand touching his back, he made no move to shrug it off.

"I don't know. I… just don't know anymore." Hanamiya croaked while Kuroko kept soothing him. That night, Hanamiya felt Pandora's box opening and finally letting out the only thing left: hope.

* * *

When morning finally came, Hanamiya opened his eyes to the warmth of the sun seeping through the windows. He stretched widely and yawned, covering his mouth in habit. He then registered that he wasn't in the guestroom and he remembered what had happened last night with Hanamiya's breakdown and Kuroko's somewhat calming tone.

Instead of feeling embarrassed that was to be disguised with arrogance and pride, he just blinked, only feeling grateful. He searched for the smaller boy and it took him three tries before he finally saw Kuroko hunching over a stool, looking very uncomfortable. Hanamiya sighed before standing up and walking over to the teal-haired boy. He was about to pick him up bridal style and carry him to his own bed when his eyes took a glimpse at Kuroko's new painting. His breath glitched and at that moment, Kuroko's eyes opened slowly.

"Hanamiya-san?" He asked drowsily.

"I didn't mean to wake you up." He said, completely unlike him.

"It is fine. I needed to wake up either way. Did you have a good sleep?"

"Yeah."

"That is good." The conversation died just like that and Hanamiya itched to ask two very important questions, the first regarding the unfinished painting he had just witnessed.

"Kuroko, what is this?" He then asked while pointing to the unfinished painting and Kuroko looked at it briefly before looking back at Hanamiya.

"It is something I want to finish when Seirin wins the Winter Cup." He answered and Hanamiya laughed. A genuine laugh, not one filled with cruelty and misery.

"And how can you be so sure that you're going to win?" He asked.

"I just know it." Kuroko said with a small smile and Hanamiya had an urge to smile with him.

"Well, it's looking good. Keep it up." Hanamiya said awkwardly, not used to being this nice, and Kuroko just nodded.

They both got ready to leave, Hanamiya to his home and Kuroko to basketball practice, and Nakashima was at the front door, waiting for both of them.

"Are you ready to leave, Tetsuya-sama?" She asked while bowing and Kuroko nodded. "I hope you had a nice stay, Hanamiya-san." She then said as she looked at the taller boy. He just nodded.

They walked to the gate and Nakashima opened it while still bowing. Kuroko thanked the maid before stepping out with Hanamiya. Nakashima left the two boys and went back to the house. They needed to walk their separate ways, and Kuroko bowed to Hanamiya.

"Goodbye, Hanamiya-san." He said, still stoic, and Hanamiya nodded. However, just before they separated, Hanamiya patted Kuroko's head while looking the other way.

"Mind painting something for me and my team, too?" He asked, embarrassed. He felt Kuroko tilted his head but then nod.

"Of course, Hanamiya-san." He responded and Hanamiya hid a smile.

"See you... Cunt." He added at the end, and with that, Hanamiya left the teal-haired boy.

Though Hanamiya couldn't see him, Kuroko gave him a small smile, grateful that a horrible person like Hanamiya could change for the better.

* * *

_A month later_

"Tetsuya-sama, what are you doing with that painting?" Nakashima asked as she stared at the small boy struggling to carry portrait that was twice his size.

"I was going to the post office. I need to send this to someone." He responded while shifting the wrapped up package to make it more comfortable for him. Sadly, it failed. Nakashima sighed with a smile on her face and helped him carry it.

"What did you paint this time, Tetsuya-sama?" She asked as Kuroko thanked her for the help.

"A team." He answered simply and Nakashima's eyes glittered with recognition.

"Is it the young man who slept over a month ago?" She asked and Kuroko looked at her, a bit shocked.

"You still remember him?" He asked and Nakashima nodded.

"I recall that some people were to trying to… Rip his head off?" Kuroko nodded and they both went outside.

"Yes, that is him. He requested that I draw something for him and I could not reject." Kuroko elaborated.

"Did it come out well?" Nakashima asked as she waved at one of the man servants to help them. Kuroko smiled slightly.

"Yes, it did." He said softly and Nakashima smiled warmly at him.

"Then, I do believe that we should send this to him as fast as we can. Sasaki-san, would you mind helping Tetsuya-sama?" She asked as the man servant, now known as Sasaki, came towards them. Sasaki, in turn, nodded.

"I do not need help." Kuroko tried to protest but Nakashima shut him down.

"Tetsuya-sama, you can barely hold this without tripping." She said and Kuroko couldn't retort back. Sasaki took the package from him and held it with no problem. Kuroko bowed at Nakashima for helping him and went his way with Sasaki to the post office.

Once they were gone, Nakashima recalled when she had gone inside Kuroko's bedroom to start cleaning up and landing her eyes on the unfinished painting. Though some color was missing on people's faces and the depths and dimensions were not that prominent, no one could deny the emotions each person was carrying on the portrait.

The one in the middle, Hanamiya as she remembered, had tears in his eyes, clutching his heart and having his teammates surrounding him with equally tearful faces. It did not say much but anyone could see the deep connection they had with each other, as both a team and as long lasting friends.

_'Hanamiya's a lucky person to be getting something so beautiful. Tetsuya-sama, your artistic boundaries seem to have no limit.'_ She thought as she went back inside the mansion._ 'Let the other one be as breathtaking as this one.'_

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**So, what did you guys think? A fail, a miss, a success? I need your opinion on this to continue :)**

**_Portrait of Kiyoshi: t0 . gstatic images?q = tbn : ANd9GcQUbZSnkOL 76p4a62cGFtcvyk 3pbkq3Z _ hjk _ DcBqZ27qZrLFe3Q_ (don't forget to take the spaces out :))**

**_Portrait of Hanamiya (and team)_: **** www . zerochan 1644442**

**Anyways, I hope you guys really liked this :)**

**For next, I have no idea what the next story will be but it will be between these three:**

**1\. Abuse Isn't the Only Thing I'm Afraid of: It's pretty much a Maximum Ride story and I don't think most of you will know this one. It's basically a Boys Over Flowers adaptation with the characters from Maximum Ride. I need to update soon because I've been neglecting it again lol**

**2\. Who Am I?: I upload this one a week ago but I wrote a bit over what I had expected so I can upload another chapter without affecting the length. But uploading this is highly unlikely because I did just upload last week.**

**3\. Happiness in a Broken Body: This is an Avater: The Last Airbender fanfiction and let me just say, this is something I truly want to write. And yes, it will be angst-worthy. I won't say much about this one but I think I will write this one to upload next week. If you're an A:TLA fan, please check it out when I upload :)**

**That's its for me and I really hope you enjoyed reading this**

**Peace,**

**FlyAndDontLookBack**


	2. Haizaki Shougo

**I am back with another chapter!**

**Ok, so very important question to ask all of you who like this story: which victim should I do next? Tell me in the reviews and I might even make a poll for this thing. Thank you! (Oh, and no GoM and Seirin just yet. I'm planning on having them cameo later on. I'll make sure to warn you if I'm thinking of adding them :))**

**So, without further ado, here is the next chapter!**

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**HEADS UP**

**1\. This will completely ignore the time schemes. I'm going to upload the characters the order in which I want to write them at. So, for example, one chapter could be after the winter cup, and the next could be in the time when Seirin beat Kaijo at a practice match. I will put the time in which the chapter will be at, but I'm saying this now so you guys don't get confused**

**2\. It is highly likely that the characters, aka victims, will be out of character. One because the plot demands it, and two because I just can't get out of my comfort zone to write really mean characters (cough cough Hanamiya, Haizaki etc) So, forgive me if I can't really write these types of characters well and let us hope that i will be able to write them better in the near future**

**3\. The portraits/paintings that I will mention in each chapter are pictures I found on the Internet. To give you guys a better perspective on what the victims will be witnessing, I'll put the links up both at the end of the chapter and at my profile. Just remember to take away the spaces if you're too lazy to click on my profile and find it there. There will sometimes be more than one painting the character will witness, so heads up**

* * *

_**Title: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words**_

_**Rating: T**_

_**Pairings: implied Gom X Kuroko**_

_**Time frame: A few days after Haizaki VS Kise match**_

_**Warning: Implied thoughts of suicide**_

_**Second Victim: Haizaki Shougo**_

* * *

He assumed that it would be another boring day, just like always. A day where he would wander around the streets of Tokyo while visiting his annoying relatives and sometimes get into fights where he would win victoriously. Today was no different except for the fact that this fight he got into left him with some scratches and bruises. He had realized later than sooner that his opponent for the day was a black belt at karate and was ridiculously good at fighting. However, Haizaki was at advantage; he knew that the opponent had never been street fighting before and therefore did not know the rules to it.

"Rule number one idiot: there are no rules in street fighting." He had said before walking out of the alley, successfully winning this battle.

His face had evidence that he was out being rebellious again and he knew that his parents and relatives would not shut up about it if he went back home, so he started walking around the city, trying to find something to amuse him.

And then he found it.

A flash of a familiar teal colored hair.

Haizaki smirked before pinpointing to where the sky blue hair had gone to. It was weird, being able to see Kuroko. Normally, he would have lost sight of him the moment a crowd appeared but today was different. The small boy seemed to be carrying something big over his head, not that that made it easier for others to spot him, which was just madness.

He caught up with Kuroko easily and started following him quietly. Shadowing a shadow was truly a fun experience, not that Haizaki would admit it to anybody. While following him, he started to ponder about his revenge. He knew that all the Generation of Miracles had a special place in their hearts for the phantom player and that they were all protective, whether directly or indirectly, of him as well.

What better revenge was there than to beat up their most cared friend and make sure they all saw it?

With that idea in mind, Haizaki couldn't help but smirk madly. It would be very easy to break Kuroko. He was fragile, like a baby bird that had just been hatched. He was daydreaming for sure now. Just the mere thought of seeing the Generation of Miracles reactions was both hilarious and addicting to him.

So, because he was so caught up in planning the whole event inside his mind, he did not notice

that Kuroko had stopped in front of a house and Haizaki just kept going his way. And then he heard someone call out his name.

"Haizaki-kun?" He turned around in shock to see Kuroko staring right at him and it was then that he realized that his cover was blown. However, he got over the shock quickly and put on an easy-going smirk.

"Well, well, if it isn't Tetsuya?" He said casually and gave him a menacing smile. It didn't seem to affect Kuroko in any way.

"What are you doing here?" The teal-haired boy asked in a stoic voice.

"What do you think?" He asked vaguely, licking his thumb with the tip of his tongue. Kuroko furrowed his eyebrows for a split second before opening the gate that led to an enormous mansion. For a moment, Haizaki had no words and only looked at the boy going in with immense surprise. And then, Kuroko spoke again.

"Haizaki-kun, please come in." He couldn't move as the shock was still with him. What the hell was Kuroko doing, barging into such a rich house as if it were his own?

Kuroko just stood in front of the gate, waiting for him.

"Haizaki-kun?" He asked and finally, Haizaki could feel his legs moving unconsciously towards the smaller boy. It was completely unlike him, to be following someone without knowing what their plan and/or objective was. Normally it would be Haizaki leading the people to where he wanted to go. It seemed he was getting all kinds of experiences in this supposedly average day.

As they walked up to the door, it was magically opened and when Haizaki peered inside the house, he saw that various maids were lined up, bowing formally.

"Welcome back, Tetsuya-sama." They all said in sync and it took Haizaki a few moments to connect two and two together.

There was only one Tetsuya he knew in this entire place and the servants inside the mansion all bowed when Kuroko Tetsuya had come in.

His eyes grew wide as the realization punched him in the face. This really _was _Kuroko's house. Kuroko owned a fucking mansion.

Kuroko had already started moving inside the house and Haizaki couldn't think of anything other than to trail behind him. The smaller of the two put down the object he was carrying next to the white and gold stairs - _white and gold _\- and called for a person with the name Nakashima. A petite woman with her brown hair locked tightly into a bun came into and bowed. Kuroko hastily pulled her back up and she laughed at the slightly distressed face Kuroko was making.

"I always keep forgetting that Tetsuya-sama doesn't like to be bowed to." Nakashima commented and Kuroko turned away to keep the people from seeing his face.

"Nakashima-san, please." He said impassively as he turned back to the maid. "Would you mind getting the first aid kit? It seems my friend is hurt." He then said and Nakashima took one good look at Haizaki's dazed face before nodding and heading off to find the medical tools needed. It was now just Kuroko and Haizaki at the main entrance.

Haizaki, finally out of his trance, glanced at Kuroko with unbelieving eyes. How the fuck did a guy like Kuroko be one of the rich? Just the idea of having the weakling be in one of the richest families in all Japan did not coincide one bit. Judging by the size of the house, it seemed the money Kuroko's family had could rival that of Akashi's.

"Haizaki-kun, how did you get hurt?" Kuroko suddenly asked and at that moment, Haizaki remembered who he was.

"Hah? Why do you care? I was out, having a bit of fun." He replied, his usual smirk returning to his facial features. Kuroko looked at him with his unnerving eyes and even he had to admit that those eyes would make anyone break.

Nakashima entered hurriedly with the first aid kit and Kuroko thanked her. Just as he was about to take the kit from her, she swung her arm away from him.

"I will take care of the wounds, Tetsuya-sama." She supplied but Kuroko gave her his version of a stink eye.

"I can do it myself. He is my friend." He insisted, though Haizaki wanted to snort at the word 'friend'.

"I will do it." She said strongly and Kuroko looked at the maid for a second before sighing.

"It seems I can never win with you, Nakashima-san. I will be right back. I need to put the canvas I bought to my room anyways." And with that, Kuroko took the object, now identified as a canvas, and started walking up the glittering stairs.

After seeing the boy leave, Nakashima gestured Haizaki to follow her into one of the rooms.

"Oh, and where are we going?" Haizaki asked seductively. Nakashima ignored him and ordered him to sit on one of the chairs that was inside the room.

"Normally, it would be the guy telling the girl to sit on the chair, wouldn't it?" He tried to seduce but failed when Nakashima glared at him fiercely. She opened the kit and started to put antiseptic onto a piece of cotton.

"You're pretty cute, by the way. How old are you?" Haizaki tried once more, leaning over the table to get closer to the maid. He was instead met with a face full of antiseptic cotton and it burned like no tomorrow. He shrieked in pain as he pulled away from the cotton.

"Don't touch your face or it'll only make it worse." Nakashima said coldly before getting another piece of cotton out. Haizaki tried to quickly recover from the pain that diminished slowly. He sat back down - he had stood up when the cotton was in contact with his face - and decided to stay at a distance where she wouldn't attack him again with the antiseptic. This, however, did not stop him from harassing her with his vulgar comments.

"Come on, how about you and me have a little fun while we're at this? I'm pretty rough but I can go soft on you if you want." Nakashima looked absolutely disgusted and tried to cover his face with the cotton once more but he dodged it swiftly. He stood up from the chair and moved over to her side. She tried to escape but he caught her arm by the last second and pulled her towards him.

"Come on, baby, it'll be really fun. I promise." He whispered and he felt Nakashima shiver profoundly. He took this as a good sign and smirked. He slowly opened his mouth and started to stick out his tongue when he felt a sharp stab on the side of his stomach. He curled over immediately, releasing Nakashima from his grip, and doubled over. He looked up painfully to see Kuroko with a very angry face. In fact, he looked so angry that Haizaki suddenly regretted his actions greatly.

"You are not allowed in any way to harass the people here. You are a guest but even then, if you cross the line, I will be merciless." Kuroko said in a cold voice that Haizaki had never heard before. Haizaki couldn't say a word, more out of shock than pain, and he heard Nakashima's footsteps fading away. When the pain from his stomach subsided, he stood up and grinned at Kuroko, recomposing himself.

"I was just teasing for a bit, Tetsuya. Loosen up" Haizaki shrugged but his eyes said differently. Kuroko looked unaffected by this and started to leave the room. Haizaki casually started to follow him out and stopped when two very buff people stood in front of him.

"Hah? What's this?" He inquired aloud as the two people crossed their arms, preventing Haizaki from taking another step.

"Haizaki-kun, apologize to Nakashima-san immediately." Kuroko ordered but Haizaki wasn't fazed at all. He dealt with these kinds of people before and he always won. This would be easy as well.

"Really, Tetsuya? You want me to apologize?" He sneered as he looked at Nakashima, who was peering from behind the men with a glare. "Well, you're going to have to defeat me first!" He yelled as he ran to make the first punch.

* * *

When Haizaki woke up, he first felt very disoriented. He felt like the world was spinning out of control. After blinking a couple of times, he could finally stopp the dizziness, if only slightly, and the next thing that occurred to him was that he didn't know what happened.

He remembered challenging the very buff men with the intention of winning. Next, he only remembered getting punched in the face and seeing black.

Ah. Now he remembered. He got knocked out from one single punch. That was a new low, even for him.

"Are you awake, Haizaki-kun?" He heard someone ask and he couldn't pinpoint where the person was. Then, he refocused his eyes and saw that Kuroko was standing right in front of him. He yelped in surprise before composing himself.

"What do you think, dipshit?" He sneered but his head was still pounding. Kuroko stared for a second before kneeling and taking out a drenched cotton. Haizaki knew exactly what the cotton had and was about to move away quickly but failed when he got another mouthful of the antiseptic. He howled in pain but that didn't stop Kuroko from rubbing more.

After what seemed to be hours, the cotton stopped touching his face and the pain, which he was getting used to, stopped entirely.

"What the fuck, Tetsuya? That fucking hurt!" Haizaki yelled as Kuroko put the antiseptic back into the kit, not saying a word. Haizaki snarled to make Kuroko feel intimidated but got no response. It was then that he looked at his surroundings.

The room was filled with paint and canvases.

"What the hell…?" Haizaki muttered as he slowly stood up from the bed. Kuroko just looked at him impassively as he started to walk around.

"Where are we?" He asked as he passed a painting that was painted completely black except for the middle, where there stood a ray of light.

"We are in my room. After Kida-san knocked you down, I asked him to carry you up to my room." Kuroko explained but it looked like Haizaki wasn't listening to anything. He just kept looking at the paintings with a pained look on his face.

He saw portraits of people he didn't know and people he did, all faces vibrant and cheerful. It made him want to rip the paintings out bit by bit.

_Why can't I be this happy?_

He walked towards the painting of Kise and Kuroko standing next to each other, laughing.

_Why can't I have this?_

He then saw the painting Kuroko was currently working on. It pained him greatly to see it - see _them _\- and he turned away before he did something he would regret and walked to the next portrait.

He stopped dead in his tracks.

"Wh - What is this?" Haizaki asked with a cracked voice. It seemed like his throat was burning and dry. Kuroko looked at him intensely.

"It is a picture of you, Haizaki-kun." Kuroko answered. Haizaki touched the canvas lightly, especially the light blue color that was dripping from the hair of the painting.

"Why?" He whispered. "I'm your enemy." At that, Kuroko tilted his head.

"Why would you think that, Haizaki-kun? I never saw you as an enemy. Only as a friend." He spoke softly and the horrible pain Haizaki was feeling in his heart burst.

He fell to the ground as his hand trailed down the painting of him. The colors that represented the Generation of Miracles as well as Kuroko's color dripped from his head and slithered down to his neck. His portrait face seemed lost, confused, but glad at the same time, as if he knew that it was for the best to leave the basketball club in middle school.

"Haizaki-kun?" Kuroko asked as he walked over to the kneeling man.

"I don't understand." He replied. _I don't understand why I'm feeling this._

"You were part of the basketball club, and though we never interacted that much, I never thought of you as a bad person, Haizaki-kun."

"Why did you draw me?" _Why did you draw me like this?_

"Why not?" Kuroko answered simply and Haizaki put his head down. They were quiet for a moment before Kuroko walked towards the painting and took it off the wall. He came to Haizaki and put the painting down in front of him.

"Would you like to keep it? It _is _your portrait, after all." He explained and Haizaki looked at the canvas once more. The eyes were staring at him, as if into his black, rotten soul. They were assessing him, weren't they? They were asking why he was a fucking piece of shit for a human. That's what they were thinking, weren't they?

Before Haizaki knew it, He had punched through the canvas.

And for what seemed like a long time in years, he started crying.

He was just a shit face who didn't deserve to live, wasn't he? He was just a lowly excuse for a human being. That what everyone thought, anyways. The students, the teachers, his teammates… Hell, even his relatives and parents thought the same thing, didn't they? Why did he keep struggling like this if no one even liked him in the first place?

Why was he still here when he didn't deserve to?

"Haizaki-kun, are you ok?"

Ah. Those few words just killed him.

"I… don't really know anymore." He choked as tears kept trailing down his cheeks. And then he felt something touch his back in a soothing motion. He looked up to see Kuroko patting his back and he realized at that moment that this was the first time anyone had every comforted him.

_Maybe someone does care for me, after all. _He thought as he felt himself lean into Kuroko, wanting more of this warm feeling.

He liked it.

Maybe he would stay in this cruel world for a bit more.

* * *

"The painting…" Haizaki started but Kuroko shook his head.

"It is alright, Haizaki-kun. I was planning on giving it to you anyways. If you want, I can draw it again." Kuroko said and Haizaki just looked at the hole in the painting.

"I think I'm good." He responded and took the painting from Kuroko's hands. "I'll just keep this one."

"Are you sure? It really doesn't bother me."

"It's fine." And with that, the conversation ended and Haizaki got ready to go out of Kuroko's house. Before he stepped out, though, he looked back and spotted Nakashima mopping the floor but keeping her distance from him. Haizaki sighed mentally and shouted, "Sorry for being a douche, sweetie!"

It wasn't technically an apology, but Haizaki would get there, someday.

Kuroko smiled slightly as he went to Nakashima, who also seemed to relax.

"And here I thought you started making friends with, pardon my language, assholes like him." She said with her hands on her hips.

"Haizaki-kun is not a horrible person." Kuroko stated lightly and she laughed.

"No, it would seem that he's not."

* * *

**So, what did you guys think? Good, bad, meh? Make sure to tell me in the reviews!**

_**Portrait of Haizaki:  www . zerochan 1770209**_

_**Portrait of KiseXKuroko: www . fujimochi . / post / 79701490374**_

**As I mentioned in the beginning, I would love to hear suggestions from you guys for the next victim :) Tell me in the reviews and I might make a poll for it, so if you want me to make one, make sure to tell me!**

**I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to upload next week but eh, it'll come to me sooner or later.**

**Completely diverging from this, did anyone see the Teiko arc being animated? The new episode came out today and my heart was ripping to pieces. I really can't. The feels were to great for me.**

**Anyways, that's all for me and I hope you guys liked it :)**

**Peace,**

**FlyAndDontLookBack**


	3. Imayoshi Shoichi

**Finally, after many many weeks, I have returned with an all new chapter for this story!**

**I had writer's block for this (dun dun dun), and it took me forever to even think of this idea. Anyways, since it is finals week, this story might not have my usual fling so forgive me for that. I really hope you enjoy it, though.**

**Ok, so regarding the poll, the most voted candidate was Mayuzumi Chihiro. I decided to write him a bit later, more so because I want him to show up later in the series. I kind of also didn't have a concrete idea for him, so he will cameo later. For now, this is Imayoshi's corner!**

**Please don't forget to check out the poll for this story because I do need to know who you guys want to see next and I'll try my best to get ideas for it :)**

**So, without further ado, here is the next chapter!**

* * *

**HEADS UP**

**1\. This will completely ignore the time schemes. I'm going to upload the characters the order in which I want to write them at. So, for example, one chapter could be after the winter cup, and the next could be in the time when Seirin beat Kaijo at a practice match. I will put the time in which the chapter will be at, but I'm saying this now so you guys don't get confused**

**2\. It is highly likely that the characters, aka victims, will be out of character. One because the plot demands it, and two because I just can't get out of my comfort zone to write really mean characters (cough cough Hanamiya, Haizaki etc) So, forgive me if I can't really write these types of characters well and let us hope that i will be able to write them better in the near future**

**3\. The portraits/paintings that I will mention in each chapter are pictures I found on the Internet. To give you guys a better perspective on what the victims will be witnessing, I'll put the links up both at the end of the chapter and at my profile. Just remember to take away the spaces if you're too lazy to click on my profile and find it there. There will sometimes be more than one painting the character will witness, so heads up**

* * *

_**Title: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words**_

_**Rating: T**_

_**Pairings: None**_

_**Time frame: A week after the Seirin VS Touo rematch game**_

_**Warning: Abusive family relationship(ish)**_

_**Third Victim: Imayoshi Shoichi**_

* * *

Imayoshi was kicked out of the house. Again.

He should probably be more clear. He was kicked out of the house, more like he left it instead.

It wasn't his fault, really; what else could he do? His parents were fighting terribly for the umpteenth time and he had already learned his lesson of trying to butt in and try and save his father's arse. He winced slightly at the memory. He never knew his mother could have such a powerful slap.

Honestly, he couldn't understand why his father would go out and spite her, turn her into a complete demon. But then again, Imayoshi couldn't help but take his father's side as well. Was it his father's fault that women flocked all over him, even though he already had a wife? Was it his fault that he had a gift to make any woman fall head over heels for him? Was it his fault he had the talent of charming the pants off anyone? Who could Imayoshi blame? He had to get his devious side from somewhere, his skillful use of wordplay, and his father just used it well and to his advantage.

With that said, when his mother figured out that he was having another affair, she cracked. Imayoshi saw it the moment she walked into the house after finishing her work as a successful business woman. Thankfully, she gave him enough time to clear out. Just as he walked out of his house, he heard the screams and the crashes of objects that were helplessly thrown at walls when they were meant for his father, the target.

Now, Imayoshi was mindlessly walking around Tokyo's streets, in hopes of satiating this gnawing feeling in his chest. He really didn't like the feeling, even though he had felt it multiple times. He had no idea where it was coming from and he really didn't want to know, being smart enough to understand that it had something to with his messed up family. He knew his family was not the ideal, perfect family he had always envisioned in his mind, but he just didn't have the courage to say it aloud. He refused to believe it. His family was perfectly fine. His family was perfectly fine.

The gnawing feeling grew bigger, which started to annoy Imayoshi. And then, it started to suffocate him. His clutched his chest and tried to breath evenly, but the feeling just wouldn't disappear. Imayoshi angrily tried to force it back down to where it belonged but failed miserably. The feeling just seemed to get bigger. He swayed a bit, trying to regain his balance, and eventually leaned against a wall that led to Maji Burger. He involuntarily glanced at the window and laid his eyes on a family that had a mother, father, and a little boy with a toy car. The little boy looked happy as he ran the toy car along the table and his mother made him stop for a second to feed him part of her hamburger. The little boy complied immediately and the father ruffled his hair in affection.

Imayoshi growled at the public affection. It was disgusting to watch. He didn't care that it was normal for a family to do such things. It was still disgusting. Then, he remembered when his parents did the same to him, when he was only a small child who didn't know anything. It was funny, Imayoshi thought humorlessly, because he had believed that he had lost all his childhood memories when his father had become the man he was today.

The feeling grew immensely in mere seconds and Imayoshi doubled over, wanting to vomit but holding back to not cause a scene. He saw dark spots dancing around and he felt himself floating in a pit of fire. The feeling enlit itself to full blast and his legs buckled over, making him fall to the ground. He wasn't sure if people were watching him but at this point, he just didn't care. All he wanted was for this terrible gnawing feeling to go away.

"Imayoshi- san? Are you ok?" He heard a distinct yet familiar voice call to him. He tried to lift his head to see who it was but as he did, the remaining strength he had dissipated and he collapsed, unconscious.

* * *

It was a few hours before Imayoshi could come back to his senses. When he woke up, the first thing he saw was a beautiful, golden chandelier dangling above him. That, however, wasn't what made him realize he was somewhere he didn't know. It wasn't until he saw a painting hanging from the wall opposite to him that Imayoshi finally registered he was at an unknown place. He tried to get up and investigate as to where he was but he crashed to the floor, his legs still weak from before. Before he could get up again, the door opened and a petite woman in a maid outfit entered.

"Oh, so you were awake." She commented and laid out clothes on a chair that was next to the door. "Here are some spare clothes. They may be a bit small for you, but please cooperate. The master was very kind in giving you these, so please wash up." She said in monotone before leaving, not caring that Imayoshi was still splayed out on the floor.

Imayoshi waited a few seconds before standing up and steadying himself. He walked carefully to the clothes and grabbed them, then headed for the bathroom.

The painting never seemed to leave his eyes.

* * *

After a refreshing shower (Imayoshi never knew a bubble bath could be so calm and tranquil), he went outside the bedroom and tried to find out where he was. He was obviously in a very rich house because once he went outside, he was overwhelmed by the enormous hallway and the many paths that led to many rooms.

He walked cautiously at first, making sure not to make a sound. He had seen many movies in his life and normally, a person like him would be known as the antagonist. However, when his eyes met with one of the maids, not the one who had delivered the clothes, and she did nothing, he realized that maybe he was actually a guest here, which made no sense at all because he didn't know anyone who owned an actual mansion.

When he finally found the staircase that led to the main entrance, someone called out his name.

"Imayoshi-san?" Imayoshi turned around to face the voice and was shocked beyond measure.

"Kuroko?" Imayoshi asked incredulously and it suddenly made so much more sense why the borrowed clothes were very, very small.

"Are you feeling better?" Kuroko asked, indifferent to the fact that Imayoshi had just put two and two together.

"You're - You live here?" Imayoshi asked, completely ignoring the question. Kuroko nodded once and Imayoshi only blinked at the phantom man.

"Are you feeling better, Imayoshi-san?" Kuroko asked once more and Imayoshi needed a few seconds of quiet time before he could nod.

"That is good." Kuroko started to say. "You gave everyone a scare when you fainted. Do you know what happened?" He then asked and Imayoshi suddenly felt a jab to his stomach.

Ah, the feeling was back.

Imayoshi gave Kuroko a sly grin and shrugged.

"You know, it's really unnerving to be talking to you, you know? Since you beat us at the Winter Cup not long ago." He said, avoiding the question and using a tone that most people would find uncomfortable. Kuroko, however, didn't feel fazed at all.

"Is that so?" Kuroko merely answered and Imayoshi just shrugged, keeping his fake grin on him. Kuroko studied him for a second, and throughout that second, Imayoshi felt himself being exposed to the eyes of Kuroko. Would he know what Imayoshi was going through with just a glance? But that was impossible. Imayoshi had mastered the art of hiding his true feelings ages ago. There was absolutely no way he could be found out by someone he had met only a few months ago. There was absolutely no way.

But as Kuroko started opening his mouth to say something, Imayoshi sweatdropped, suddenly losing confidence in himself and his way. His grin faltered and Kuroko's eyes sparked.

"Tetsuya-sama, I found the brush!" The maid who had brought his clothes earlier interrupted, and Kuroko turned his gaze to her. Imayoshi let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and focused his attention to their conversation.

"Thank you, Nakashima-san." Kuroko bowed as he received the brush with two hands. The maid, Nakashima, looked flustered and hastily made Kuroko straighten his form.

"Tetsuya-sama, you know you're not supposed to bow to your servants!" Nakashima said uncomfortably, but Kuroko shrugged.

"What does it matter if I do, Nakashima-san?" Kuroko asked and the maid didn't have answer to give him. "I will bow to whomever I respect." He finished and at that, Nakashima blushed profoundly before bowing and leaving the scene. Imayoshi directed his attention to Seirin's smallest player, who was currently looking at the old brush with a happy glint in his normally blank eyes.

"Ah, well, I think I'll just leave now. I overstayed my visit." Imayoshi said and tried to excuse himself to leave, to get away from this overly observant phantom man, but Kuroko stopped him at the last second.

"You may stay here overnight if you wish, Imayoshi-san. Besides, it is already very late." Kuroko responded, pointing to a grandfather clock that stroke 11 pm. Just how long had Imayoshi been out?

"You were out for a long time, Imayoshi-san. Almost 4 hours. We were getting worried." Kuroko said, as if he were reading his mind.

"How did you -"  
"In any case, you can use the guest bedroom you were just at. If you have any problems, do not be shy to call for me or Nakashima-san." Kuroko finalized and bowed. As he left, Imayoshi was struck by a weird notion.

'_Why did Kuroko need a painting brush?'_

* * *

Imayoshi was restless. He just couldn't sleep. This normally happened to him; he was one of those people who couldn't sleep well if they slept before they normal sleeping time. He tossed and turned to find a comfortable spot in the already comfortable bed but whenever he closed his eyes, the gnawing feeling would appear.

After 2 AM struck, he decided to walk around the mansion and lay his mind off his parents. He wondered briefly on what they were doing, and he dismissed soon after. They were probably still fighting, or worse, having make-up sex. Sometimes, Imayoshi couldn't help but despise his father for making even the angriest people bow to his command. He had no idea how his father could do such a thing.

At this point, Imayoshi wondered whether they were a family at all.

Before he left the guestroom, he stopped right in front of the painting that had been with him since he woke up. Whoever painted this was a genius, even to Imayoshi's eyes and he was a very harsh critic. He stared at the eyes of the painted lady and felt the gnawing feeling in him disappear slightly. He grasped his chest in confusion and as he kept looking at the painting. He sensed that the lady was somewhat examining him, telling him with her eyes that she knew what he was going through. Scared, he immediately exited.

There was no way a painting, a fucking painting, could know what he was going through. It wasn't even alive to begin with! The artist, he had to know who the artist was. He had to know how the artist could do such a thing, where the painting itself could dig deep into the soul of a twisted mind.

Imayoshi remembered what Kuroko had said before they parted ways. If he had a problem, he could just call for him or the maid, Nakashima. Well, Imayoshi decided that this was a big problem. There was absolutely no way a _painting _could know what he was thinking, what he had been through, what he was going through now. All those years of self-teaching were lost immediately and he hated it so much. It was a mistake, that was what it was. He was just delusional, still a bit groggy from fainting in the evening.

Why did he even faint? He stopped in his steps as the thought ran across his mind. He remembered the cause to it: the gnawing feeling that had grown significantly. Then what was the gnawing feeling and why had it grown? Did he even want to know?

Imayoshi decided to ignore finding the cause to it for the millionth time. It was too much to process and he didn't want to know at all. He knew it had something to do with his father, his family. But he didn't want to know. He didn't want to admit it. Not now. Not ever.

After that, Imayoshi started walking again to find Kuroko's room and ask him about the artist who drew the painted lady and make sure he was just imagining it in his mind. It was pure imagination, it had to be.

He ran through the hallway, not caring anymore about making a lot of noise, and after a few tries in trying to find the phantom man, he gave up and slowed down to a walk. Imayoshi felt like he was walking in circles. This was the bad thing about mansions; they were just too big and far too lonely. He was just about to give in and go back to the guest room when he saw from the corner of his eye a light that did not come from the walls of the hallway. He walked towards it silently and when he stood in front of the door, he hesitated in opening it. What if it wasn't Kuroko but rather Kuroko's father? A person he didn't know?

However, the curiosity became too great for him and he had no choice but to open the door.

"Kuroko? Are you -" Imayoshi couldn't finish his words as he took in the sight of the room. His jaw was left hanging open and he took several steps back before colliding with the wall behind him.

"Imayoshi-san, are you ok?" Kuroko asked as he stepped outside his room to help the fallen Touou player. He held out his hand but Imayoshi refused.

"I'm fine. Just overwhelmed." Imayoshi stuttered slightly, completely unlike him, and Kuroko gestured him to enter his room.

"I am sorry if it is a bit messy. I hadn't had time to clean it up and I told the maids not to because I would have gotten it dirty the moment I started painting again." He said and Imayoshi made sure not to step on the newspaper-covered floor carelessly. He took more time in inspecting Kuroko's room, this time with a lot more caution, and he saw that his room was literally an art studio. Paints of all kinds of colors were spread out on one side, unused canvasses were stacked up in another, and wooden stands were placed randomly around the room with paintings that still seemed to be drying.

Then, Imayoshi noticed the walls that were all decorated.

"Imayoshi-san, it is ok to enter." Kuroko suddenly said and Imayoshi realized that he was still at the doorway. Slowly, he walked in, his eyes still on the walls that were adorned with various portraits and canvasses.

Kuroko said nothing and just watched the former captain of Touo go. Quietly, he went back to the painting he was almost done with, now determined to finish it as quickly as possible. Sometimes, he thanked the gods that the portraits he was doing corresponded to the events that were happening now.

Imayoshi didn't notice Kuroko, of course, not only because Kuroko was as silent as a ghost, but also because he was too mesmerized by the paintings in front of him. He went from one portrait to another, and the gnawing feeling he was cursed with suddenly decided to show itself. Imayoshi was sweating at this point to hide the pain he was in, and kept studying the works laid out before him.

He then came across people he knew so well, both directly and indirectly.

"The Generation of Miracles, huh?" He whispered to himself and glanced at the troublemaker that was now in his team, Aomine Daiki. In the painting, they were playing a card game, and it seemed like Kise Ryouta, the copycat of Kaijo, was taking a selfie rather than it being a painting. They all seemed so carefree, so happy.

Had this happened before, in middle school, when the Generation of Miracles were still together? They definitely seemed younger with their childish faces, and more importantly, Imayoshi felt like they were a family, brothers in everything but blood.

The feeling kept getting bigger and more painful.

A moan of pain escaped Imayoshi's mouth as he needed to support himself once more. The pain was unbearable and he knew he was going to collapse again if he kept looking at the paintings. He closed his eyes to steady his breathing and when he felt the pain subside just a little, he opened them and looked for Kuroko.

"Oi, Kuroko, did you paint all of these?" He said in a raspy voice and Kuroko, who was still working on his latest painting, nodded.

"I didn't know you could draw." Imayoshi added and Kuroko shrugged. "What are you even doing?" He then asked, suddenly curious. Kuroko said nothing for a moment, putting the final touches, and when he was satisfied, he finally looked at Imayoshi in a new light.

"I was painting something for you and your team." He answered and Imayoshi looked at him peculiarly.

"Me and my team?" He repeated and Kuroko nodded.

"Would you like to see?" He asked and Imayoshi nodded hesitantly. He found his balance and walked over to where Kuroko was at.

And when Kuroko revealed what he had been doing, Imayoshi felt a series of emotions passing through him. First surprise, then disbelief, then a comfortable feeling eating the gnawing one away.

Finally, Imayoshi wept. Because what Kuroko had drawn for him was exactly what he was lacking in life: A family.

The work consisted of Touo's first stringers, those who had retired and those who hadn't, and it seemed like the third years had finished graduation. Imayoshi was holding a diploma, along with Susa, and Wakamatsu was hugging them with his head down. Though it was not portrayed, anyone could infer that Wakamatsu was crying. Even Aomine and Momoi were in the picture and Imayoshi laughed while crying. It was as if Kuroko was in their team all along because Aomine was tied up with a rope, looking ruefully annoyed but also shy and reserved, as if he were pondering whether to join Wakamatsu on the hug.

Imayoshi then bent down and, while still crying, enjoyed the warmth that substituted the horrible pain he had been experiencing his whole life. The relief was overwhelming for him to get used to immediately but Imayoshi knew he could bear it for now.

Imayoshi then looked towards Kuroko, who was giving him a soft look, and whispered, "Thank you."

* * *

It wasn't until long after Imayoshi had left the mansion with the painting in his possession that he understood the comfortable feeling he had in him, and what the gnawing feeling was. He had lived most of his childhood hiding from his parents fighting, and had become so accustomed to it that he didn't know he was losing his family, his most loved ones. The gnawing feeling he had was one of loss and abandonment, and because Imayoshi had stored all those feelings inside of his for so long, it was no wonder that such pain was inevitable and, at the same time, unbearable. He had unconsciously believed that he did not even have a family, but with the painting Kuroko had given him, he finally realized how wrong he had been.

His family was there with him, just like how the Generation of Miracles were a family as well in middle school.

His family was his team. Nothing more.

As Imayoshi typed in the password to his household, which was now quiet, he wondered whether he would lose his newly found family once he actually graduated. Immediately, he discarded the thought. He would never forget, and vice versa as well, because he knew that family never forgot their members.

"Sho-chan, is that you?" His mother called out and Imayoshi answered that it was him. His mother came out of her room with freshly put makeup and business suit, hands on her hips and a skeptical look on her face.

"Where were you last night? I tried to contact you but you didn't answer." His mother said and Imayoshi smiled. An actual smile. At that, his mother's facade faltered and looked at Imayoshi with a new look.

"I was with a friend." Imayoshi responded and it was then that his mother saw the canvas tucked under his arm.

"What is that?" She asked and he gave her the painting. His mother gasped in surprise and then gave it a soft smile.

"So this is your team, huh?" She said and Imayoshi nodded. "It's beautiful. I didn't know you had such a connection with your teammates."

"I didn't know either." He admitted and she gave the canvas back.

"We're not good parents, are we?" His mother then said hesitantly and Imayoshi froze.

"What do you mean?" His mother scratched her head in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry you had to go through so many of our fights when you were little, Sho-chan. As a mother, I should have known better and helped you but I abandoned you instead. But seeing this painting and how even you acknowledge the connection you have with your team, I'm so glad that you found a replacement for this excuse of a family." She explained but Imayoshi couldn't answer her back. He wanted to say desperately that it wasn't that. But then again, what she had said was all true.

Imayoshi gave her a small smile and shrugged, not able to trust himself to speak. His mother got the message though: the past was in the past.

"Will you miss them once you get to university?" She then asked and Imayoshi thought about it for a second. He was not one to voice out his emotions. This time, however, was an exception.

"I think I'm going to miss them a lot. I'm really going to miss them." He whispered and his mother hugged him. He froze in his place before wrapping his arms around her.

Maybe now, they could start becoming a true family again.

* * *

"Tetsuya-sama, you look horrible! At what time did you sleep?" Nakashima commented as Kuroko walked down the stairs, stretching his arms in an exaggerated manner.

"A bit later than usual, Nakashima-san." He responded and they both went to the kitchen.

"The usual being 3 in the morning? You are hopeless, Tetsuya-sama." Nakashima teased. "The glasses-wearing student seemed to be carrying your latest work."

"Is that so?" He hummed as one of the maids put out a plate for him. He thanked her and she blushed before going back to her duties.

"He looked a lot healthier than before. Happier, even." Nakashima said, leaning against the counter.

"I am glad to hear that."

"Do you believe me now when I say that your paintings can change people's lives?" Nakashima then asked and Kuroko shook his head.

"I do nothing, Nakashima-san. I paint what I think. It is up to the viewer to decide what to do with it." He responded and Nakashima smiled at him.

"Ok, ok, Tetsuya-sama. Whatever you say." She said in a sarcastic, yet caring tone and left it at that. She remembered what happened a few weeks ago, with Hanamiya Makoto and even more so in the past, when he was still in middle school and was best friends with five colorful haired boys. She then remembered the mural that was taken down by Kuroko himself and smiled sadly. It was in storage, Nakashima recalled, and wondered whether the five would ever come back and see Kuroko's paintings again.

'_If only you knew what these paintings could do to people, Tetsuya-sama. If only you knew.' _She thought, thinking of her own past and mentally thanking Kuroko for helping her find her way in life. Nakashima was a grateful person, she would do anything to help the young master achieve his true goal. She took one more glance at the teal-haired boy and happily went on with her work, determined to help the master again.

* * *

**So how was it? Good, bad, meh? Tell me in the reviews!**

_**Portrait of Imayoshi and team:  www . zerochan 1721357 # full**_

_**Portrait of past GoM: weheartit entry / 49809370**_

**Please don't forget to vote on the next victim for this story and I hope I won't have too much of writer's block from this :)**

**Moving on, my next update will probably be my Overseas story because it's been some time since I've updated it. You guys seem to really love the concept and I love that I can put my own experiences to it, so please await for it :)**

**That's it for me and wish my luck on my finals!**

**Peace,**

**FlyAndDontLookBack**


	4. Takao Kazunari

**Yay! Another chapter is up and I'm really happy I finally wrote a MidoTaka(ish)**

**I saw in the poll that Takao was first and I was more than happy to write him - though it was mostly because I already had something in mind with him.**

**Anyways, I really hope you like this and don't forget to check out my other stories!**

**So, without further ado, here is the next chapter!**

* * *

**HEADS UP**

**1\. This will completely ignore the time schemes. I'm going to upload the characters the order in which I want to write them at. So, for example, one chapter could be after the winter cup, and the next could be in the time when Seirin beat Kaijo at a practice match. I will put the time in which the chapter will be at, but I'm saying this now so you guys don't get confused**

**2\. It is highly likely that the characters, aka victims, will be out of character. One because the plot demands it, and two because I just can't get out of my comfort zone to write really mean characters (cough cough Hanamiya, Haizaki etc) So, forgive me if I can't really write these types of characters well and let us hope that i will be able to write them better in the near future**

**3\. The portraits/paintings that I will mention in each chapter are pictures I found on the Internet. To give you guys a better perspective on what the victims will be witnessing, I'll put the links up both at the end of the chapter and at my profile. Just remember to take away the spaces if you're too lazy to click on my profile and find it there. There will sometimes be more than one painting the character will witness, so heads up**

* * *

_**Title: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words**_

_**Rating: T**_

_**Pairings: Midorima X Takao**_

_**Time frame: The day before the Seirin/Rakuzan match**_

_**Warning: none**_

_**Fourth Victim: Takao Kazunari**_

* * *

Takao was ashamed to say that he finally understood the girls in shoujo mangas who got their hearts broken and were left alone to cry their eyes out. He always wondered why it was a recurring thing in those cheesy romance stories but now that he encountered a scene just like one, he couldn't say any more bad things about it.

A small part of him cursed his little sister for forcing him to read it with her, just so that she had someone to fangirl with. The large part of him was too disarrayed to even be thinking.

He ran, covering his hawk-like eyes to not let anyone see that he was crying.

The cause? None other than his teammate and partner, Midorima Shintarou. Just thinking his name made Takao groan in pity as more tears fell out. He felt so girly but before that, he felt absolutely heartbroken.

At the moment, he didn't want to relieve the incident because it was too painful and embarrassing to him. God, the look on Midorima's face when Takao accidentally blurted out that he may have had a crush on him was godforsaken. He shook his head violently and tripped on thin air. Thankfully, the street he was at had no people walking around. Then again, it was raining cats and dogs at this point.

Today was just not his day. Their team lost in the Winter Cup by Akashi Seijuuro, the seniors all had to retire to study for their university exams, he got rejected by his crush, and now, he didn't even have an umbrella to protect him from the rain. He laughed humorlessly as he dusted himself off and tried to find shelter. He started running again, this time with an objective in mind, and when he could find none, he fell to his knees in frustration.

He didn't know where he was at (he was too busy wallowing in his pity to pay attention to his surroundings) and he was getting colder as the seconds ticked by. If he stayed in the rain for a bit more, he was bound to get a major cold and he knew Midorima would most likely blame himself for it.

Takao winced slightly at the name. He really didn't want to think about it right now, not when he was still trying to get over it.

He let out a bitter cry and pounded his fist on the ground, the puddle splashing about. Just when he was about lose hope, he heard a voice behind him.

"Excuse me, are you ok?" Takao whipped his head around and saw that it was a beautiful woman holding an object that was obviously way too big for her to carry. She held the umbrella between her neck and shoulder as she looked at him worriedly.

"Ah…" Takao tried to say but no words could come out.

The woman tilted her head and with much difficulty, she shifted the package to only one hand so that she could lend the other to Takao.

"You'll get sick lying in the rain like that. Come on, let's get you some shelter." She said and Takao looked at the hand hesitantly before taking it.

"Thank you." He managed to say and she smiled at him, making him feel a lot better for some reason.

"It's my pleasure. Besides, the young master would probably scold me if I left someone in need." She explained as Takao unconsciously took the object from her.

"Ah, I can carry it on my own." She protested but Takao shushed her.

"It's fine." Takao waved off and though she looked like she wanted to say something, she held back and merely focused on holding the umbrella so that neither could get wet.

"Young master?" Takao then echoed and she nodded. "You're a servant?" She nodded once more. Takao suddenly stopped, making the woman stop as well.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Wait, so where are we going?" Takao asked instead, ignoring the question. He had a bad feeling about this.

"To the young master's home. I need to give that to him and start on my own work." She said as she pointed to the package Takao was holding.

"Wait, you're not expecting me to go into another person's house, much less a rich person's, right?" He doubted but the woman just laughed.

"Don't worry. The young master is one of the most munificent people you'll ever meet. He'll take in you immediately without any complaint."

"Still, I can't do such a thing. I'm not worthy enough." Takao dramatized, not knowing how to express his discomfort.

The woman chuckled at Takao's comment.

"Nakashima-san!" Someone called out and the woman's eyes widen. Takao looked towards her direction and he imitated the woman's actions.

"Kuroko?" Takao voiced out in confusion as Kuroko ran towards the pair, huffing with the umbrella that was barely keeping him dry.

"Nakashima-san, I thought I told you to wait at the art store." Kuroko said with a bit of hurt lacing his tone. The woman, now identified as Nakashima, looked down in guilt.

"I didn't want to bother you in this rain. I could do it myself." She confessed and Kuroko sighed but a small smile entered his features. He ruffled her hair affectionately and Nakashima lifted her head.

"Thank you for worrying, but I was more worried for you, Nakashima-san."

"I apologize, Tetsuya-sama. I will advice you next time."

"And by then, I will already by out the door." Kuroko commented and Nakashima smiled. Then, Kuroko's eyes laid on none other than Takao Kazunari, who was silent throughout the whole encounter.

"Takao-kun, what are you doing here?" He queried. Takao's only response to that was: "Tetsuya-sama!?"

* * *

"Can somebody get me a big towel?" Kuroko called out and the maids all scrambled to meet his demands. Nakashima asked for the package back from Takao and he, in a dream-like state, blankly gave it to her. She thanked him before running upstairs with the object.

Takao didn't know what was happening. Just a few minutes ago, he was heartbroken and crying his eyes out. How was it that mere seconds, he was inside a freaking _mansion_ with the unbelievable fact that Kuroko Tetsuya, one of the most fragile players he had ever seen, was rich and unimaginably powerful.

He watched the servants greet Kuroko with a bow and the maids all fumbling to dry their young master. Another maid came up to Takao and, with a bow, held out a big fluffy towel. He looked at Kuroko, wondering what he was supposed to do with this, and Kuroko only looked at him. Takao interpreted it as one of idiocy before taking the towel and thanking the maid. She bowed once more before leaving.

He started drying himself, his hair and exposed arms, and kept examining the main entrance as if he were in a trance. Then,

"Takao-kun, the bath is ready for you to use." Kuroko said and Takao realized that Kuroko was at the golden stairs. He was still in front of the door, stunned, and look around hesitantly before walking up to him.

"I didn't know you were… Ah…" Takao trailed off, suddenly feeling very awkward. Kuroko's unwavering gaze made it worse.

"Rich?" He bluntly stated and Takao spluttered. Kuroko tilted his head. "Many don't know. It's never come up before so I never had the reason to tell."

"But you don't really show it either. I mean, Akashi portrays it every chance he gets. You… don't." Takao finished clumsily.

Kuroko's gaze was the same. "It would seem so." He answered simply and gestured Takao to follow him.

During the walk in the long hallway, Takao kept looking around in awe. There were so many eye-catching things that he didn't want to miss any of them. There were chandeliers shining bright gold and so many beautiful paintings hanging on the wall. Takao felt himself getting sucked into them and just had to know who could make such alluring art.

"Kuroko, who painted all of this? Did you buy it at an auction or something?" He asked.

Kuroko looked back at him, still walking. "Ah, actually -" He started to say when his footsteps stopped and he opened a door.

Kuroko went in first and Takao hung around the doorway, peeking into the room with caution. His breath hitched at the grandioseness that was supposedly a room. The bed was nearly the size of his own room and a chandelier was hanging just above it. The room itself might as well been the size of his whole apartment flat.

"Takao-kun, I've laid out some clothes for you in the bathroom. Take as long as you need." Kuroko bowed and then left Takao to his thoughts.

The door shut and Takao stepped cautiously to the bathroom, not wanting to touch the perfect fur carpet. When he saw the bathroom, he almost fainted. Just what was Kuroko? This was just insane.

He took off his clothes and slowly went inside the bubble filled bathtub. He sighed in complete ecstasy once his whole body was inside.

_'What I wouldn't give to live a life like this.'_ Takao thought, the bubbles raising up to his chin. It was so peaceful, Takao almost forgot the mess he was in. Key word: _almost_. Just as he was about to close his eyes and lay in peace, the incident rewinded in his head without permission, making him almost jump out of the bathtub. He covered his face in pure embarrassment and he didn't feel peaceful anymore.

_'What should I do?' _Takao thought in frustration. _'I should probab__ly call and apologize, say that it was all a misunderstanding and pretend it never happened.' _His face grew into a frown._ 'But do I really want that?'_

* * *

He got of the bathtub earlier than expected. He realized that he now felt uncomfortable being here when he was supposed to brooding over the fact that his best friend would probably avoid him forever (Takao did have a tendency to dramatize a lot of things). Takao wouldn't blame him; after all, it was a normal reaction. He put on the clothes laid out for him and he saw that the clothes he had ben wearing were gone. He then shrugged, not really caring anymore.

He got out of the room while drying his hair with a towel and walked all the way to the main entrance. Once there, he was greeted by a butler who was almost as tall as Midorima.

The butler bowed. "Would you follow me please? The dinner table is ready for you." He said and Takao's brows furrowed.

"Wait, I'm staying for dinner?" He asked and the butler nodded.

"The young master insists."

Takao rubbed his head in awkwardness. "Ah, I should probably go, though. I feel like I'm intruding or something."

The butler shook his head vigorously. "Not at all! Tetsuya-sama absolutely enjoys other people's company. After middle school, his friends stopped visiting, making this household very quiet and lonely. It's nice to see young master's friends stop by."

"Middle school? Are you talking about the Generation of Miracles?"

The butler completely ignored him. "Please, Tetsuya-sama is waiting. Shall we go?"

Takao stayed in his place uncertainly for a second before relenting. "Fine, but there better be some kimchi." He joked.

The butler nodded solemnly. "Is kimchi a preference for you?"

"My favorite food. It's Korean." Takao proclaimed jokingly but the butler merely nodded once more.

"I will prepare it immediately." He declared and bowed before walking away.

Takao widened his eyes. "Ah, wait! It was a joke! A joke!" He called out but it was all in vain because the butler was already inside the kitchen. Takao let out a sigh.

"I know. You have to be careful or else they will do something you don't want them to. Just yesterday, I expressed lament in not being able to buy something and the next thing you know, one of the servants went all the way to Hokkaido to get it." A voice said and Takao nearly shrieked when he saw Kuroko at the end of the table.

Maybe his eyes were broken because he didn't know Kuroko was there at all.

"All the way there?" Takao asked while taking a seat next to him. The kitchen door opened and two maids brought out a wheel-table with plates of food, and to Takao's surprise, a plate with kimchi as well.

"Thank you for the food." Both said and dug into the food. The whole time, Takao marveled at the deliciousness.

"My compliments to the chef!" Takao complimented as he took another bite of kimchi. Kuroko nodded with a small smile on his face.

"Yoshimura-san will be delighted to hear that." Kuroko said and soon enough, all food was gone.

Takao patted his stomach in glee. "Remind me to come by your house more often."

"All the pleasure. Come by anytime." Kuroko responded.

* * *

Before Takao knew it, it was already over 9. They were in the recreation center and Takao spent his time marveling the HD TV and the other possessions Kuroko had. He didn't really know it because he was already used to the house and wanted to know more about it, so when he got a call from his mother, he was stunned at how much time had passed.

"Wait, it's already 9?" He asked and his mother let out a huff.

"Almost 9:30! Kazu, where are you? Your friend stopped by a few minutes ago, asking where you were."

Takao hesitated. "Wait, who?"

"Who else? The green-haired boy you're always with. Kazu, did something happen between you two? He seemed to be really shaken."

Takao stuttered. "Ah, it's nothing. We just had an argument. It's fine."

His mother didn't believe him one bit. "I'm drilling you about it when you get home. When exactly _are_ you coming home?"

Takao rubbed his head. "I don't really know."

"It's pouring outside, Kazu. Do you even have an umbrella? Where are you?" His mother demanded worriedly.

"I'm fine, mom. I'm actually at a friend's house after we met by coincidence. Look, I'll come home right away."

There was a rustle in the background. "No." His mom said suddenly and Takao looked at the phone in confusion.

"Wait, did you just say no?"

"Yes, I mean no. I mean -"

"Mom, speak coherently." Takao interrupted and his mother took a deep breath.

"I think you'll need to sleep over."

Takao's brows furrowed. "What, why?"

"It's raining so much right now and I realize that having you here with Hina and her friends is going to kill me. Let me talk to your friend's mother."

"Ah, ok? Wait, Hinami's having a sleepover? I want to go!"

"Takao Kazunari, you step into my house with her friends still over and I will murder you."

"Feeling the love, mom." Takao said in joking sarcasm.

"Just let me talk to your friend's mother." She said and Takao nodded, though he knew she couldn't see it.

He covered the phone with his hand and called out to Kuroko, who was sitting quietly on the sofa.

"Hey, Kuroko? My mom wants to speak with your mom."

Kuroko shook his head. "My parents are out of the country. Is there something the matter?"

It was Takao's turn to shake his head. "Nah, nothing like that. My mom wanted to ask if I could stay the night over."

"You can. I wouldn't mind at all." Kuroko answered and Takao stared at him.

"Really? Are you sure?" He asked doubtfully and Kuroko nodded.

"It does get lonely around here sometimes. Nakashima-san is always here to keep me company but it is nice to have friends once in a while."

Takao couldn't help but smile at the phantom player because at that moment, the always blank faced boy looked happy.

He turned back to the phone. "Hey, mom? His mom's out of town, but he doesn't mind if I stay."

"Really? That's good, then. I'll see you tomorrow, Kaz - Hinami, do not touch that pizza, it is hot and you will burn your - Gah! What did I tell you? I'll see you tomorrow, Kazu." And with that, the phone call ended.

Takao chuckled at his mother's antics and turned his attention back to Kuroko.

"So, I guess I'm staying."

Kuroko nodded. "It would seem so. I will prepare the guest bedroom for you." He called Nakashima and she entered the room with a bow.

"What would you like, Tetsuya-sama?"

"For you not to bow to me." Kuroko said bluntly and Nakashima chuckled.

"You know I can't do that, Tetsuya-sama."

"How long have we known each other?"

"Not long enough."

Kuroko sighed but reluctantly changed the subject. "Would you mind preparing the guest bedroom for my friend?"

Nakashima nodded. "Right away." She bowed once more before leaving.

"Must be lucky, having servants and all." Takao said, more in admiration than in jealousy. Kuroko shook his head.

"I feel guilty every time I order them to do something."

"Then why don't you do it?" Takao asked in pure curiosity.

"What makes you think I have not? I tried making my own bed once and they all swarmed over me, telling me it was their job to do such a thing. After a few months of trying, my father told me it would never work, so I stopped."

Takao lied down on the couch. "So, where are you parents?"

"I believe they are in Europe."  
"That far?"

Kuroko nodded. Takao frowned. "How much do you see your parents?"

Kuroko tilted his head and pondered. "If I am lucky, about twice every 3 months?"

Takao blanched. "Are you serious? That's too small!"

"I understand that they have work to do."

"Even still! They're your family! They should be caring for you and loving you and -"

"I already have that, even if my family cannot provide it." Kuroko cut off with a smile on his face. Takao looked at him before understanding.

"Ah, I forgot. You have a really good team, Kuroko. Seirin's going to win this Winter Cup."

"Thank you for having faith in us." Kuroko bowed and Takao stretched his arms with a yawn. It was already 10 and Takao knew Kuroko needed to rest because tomorrow was the big day where Seirin would match against Rakuzan, Akashi's unbeatable school.

He knew he shouldn't keep Kuroko up, but he realized that he had never seen his room at all.

"Hey, Kuroko?" Takao asked as he stood up. Kuroko looked at him curiously.

"Yes, Takao-kun?"

"Where's your room?"

Kuroko looked slightly taken back. "Excuse me?"

"Your room! I wanna see it!" Takao said in glee and Kuroko looked at him strangely before nodding. He then stood up and gestured Takao to follow him. Takao smiled brightly and skipped his way to a door that was slightly bigger than the other doors in the hallway.

"It is a bit messy, so please be careful." Kuroko warned.

Takao raised an eyebrow. "Never would have pinpointed you as a messy person."

Kuroko merely shrugged and opened the door. The first thing Takao saw was a newspaper wall at the opposite side of the door that was filled with splotches of different hues. The ground was filled with palettes and paintbrushes, canvases and opened paint buckets. His bed was at the vey corner, a simple one-person bed that clashed with the rich style the mansion had. And finally, Takao saw the other walls that were filled with framed canvases.

His breath hitched as he realized the nostalgia. The style of the paintings, though they had different concepts, all had that same feeling. They were all beautiful, yet heartbreaking at the same time.

Kuroko was already inside and waited for Takao to move, and slowly, he did.

"Did you… do all this?" Takao whispered and Kuroko nodded. "I didn't know you could draw."

"It is a hobby of mine. When I do not play basketball or I have an inspiration, I draw. It was a good way to express myself when my face could not." Kuroko explained and Takao nodded absentmindedly.

With small steps, Takao walked over to the walls and examined the paintings carefully, one by one. And then, when he saw two familiar people, he started to cry.

The painting was one of Takao and Midorima. It was raining but the only one who had the umbrella open was Takao. He was a staring downwards to none other than Midorima Shintarou, who was in his Teiko uniform, in complete sorrow. There was no other action and it seemed like a simple drawing of two people, both in pain and both in need, but for Takao, he knew exactly what Kuroko wanted to portray.

Brokenly, he turned to Kuroko, who was silent, and asked with his eyes. _'Why?'_

Kuroko walked over to where he was and touched the painting delicately, tracing over the figures. "After the rematch between Seirin and Shuutoku, when I saw Midorima having fun and actually passing to other people, I realized how much of a friend you were to him. Before, even back in Teiko, he never acknowledged us or even called us friends, just teammates and mere acquaintances. Then, when he entered Shuutoku and met you, he seemed to be more open. I like to believe that you were the cause for it, Takao-kun. I like to believe that it was because you that Midorima-kun could revert back to who he was."

"But that was your doing." Takao whispered.

Kuroko shook his head. "It was you who made it so much better, Takao-kun. In Teiko, we were all broken. Now, everyone has someone they can rely on. Kise-kun has Kasamatsu-san, Aomine-kun has Imayoshi-san and Momoi-san, even Murasakibara-kun has Himuro-san to help him get through it. Sometimes, when I think about it, I wonder if Midorima-kun is the luckiest of them all."

"Why?" Takao asked in a soft voice, still unable to get it.

Kuroko looked at him straight in the eye. "Because he has you."

Takao couldn't take it. Memories from before resurfaced and marred Takao's thoughts. He fell to his knees and cried even harder. Kuroko crouched down as well and patted him soothingly on the back.

"Well, it's all over now!" Takao wailed and tried to wipe away his tears. "I've officially ruined the friendship me and Shin-chan had. I'm sorry, Kuroko. I've failed."

"You do not have apologize, Takao-kun. Why are you apologizing?"

"Because I made the stupidest mistake anyone can ever make. I confessed to the one person I never should have confessed to."

"Takao-kun?" Kuroko asked but Takao wasn't listening to him.

"Shin-chan was degrading himself as usual, saying it was his fault that they couldn't win against Akashi. He kept insulting himself, saying he wasn't good enough. I tried to comfort him but he kept trying to push me away that I finally cracked and told him I liked him. I told the one person who would never even think to be gay that I liked him. What am I going to do?"

Takao sobbed, cried, wished he could mend his broken heart, and wanted nothing more but to rewind time and stop this whole mess from happening. He had been happy when Midorima knew nothing. He was more than glad that he could stay next to him even though he was harboring these illicit feelings. But now, it was all gone.

He felt sharp pains in his chest and he couldn't breath. He started hyperventilating while still crying, making the situation even worse.

Then, when he felt that he couldn't go on any further, Kuroko hugged him tightly. Takao's breath stopped for a moment, trying to understand what was happening, and Kuroko took that moment to speak.

"Takao-kun, you are one of the most caring, beloved people I have ever met. You are quirky, funny, extremely sharp-eyed, and absolutely fun to have around. But you also have emotions because you are human. No human has the strength to mask their feelings, no matter how much he tries. You are no different, Takao-kun. You only did what was natural."

"But that doesn't change anything."

"But it will. For better or worse, even I do not know, but what I do know is that it will all fade over time. While the past may remain, the future always changes. The present may be difficult to deal with, but who knows? The future may be just what you want. Do not give up, Takao-kun, for I do not tolerate such people in my household."

Takao looked at Kuroko for a second before laughing out loud.

"Did you just try to make a joke?"

"I have no sense of humor. I do not understand."

Takao smiled. "Liar." And after a few seconds, "Thank you. Thank you so much."

Kuroko smiled with him. "It is my pleasure."

* * *

Even though Takao had planned to not bother Kuroko, they ended up having a talk until 2 in the morning. They had no idea until Takao yawned and checked the time. When he did, he immediately threw Kuroko onto the bed and ordered him to sleep. Kuroko looked at him blank-eyed before nodding and closing his eyes.

When morning came, a maid came up and woke him, telling him Kuroko was waiting for him in the main entrance. He checked the time (he really should do that more often) and saw that it was nearly 10. He rushed out of bed, not caring about the bed head he had, and was met with the teal-haired player in front of the door.

"Good morning, Takao-kun. Did you have a good night's sleep?" Kuroko asked and Takao nodded.

"Best I've had in a long time. Going to practice?" He asked, eyeing the sports bag. It was Kuroko's turn to nod.

"Our last practice before the match with Rakuzan."

Takao looked at him seriously. "They're no joke."

"I know."

"But I know you'll win. You have a knack for making miracles. They should have dubbed _you_ the Generation of Miracles instead." Takao joked and Kuroko gave a small smile.

"Thank you, Takao-kun. Shall we go?" He asked and Takao nodded, happily walking beside the phantom player.

Before they got out of the gate, however, a female voice called out to them and both turned around to see Nakashima running with a ridiculously big package in her hands.

"Ah, I forgot." Kuroko said before running towards her to help her. When they reached the Shuutoku player, Kuroko handed him the object.

"What is this?" Takao asked curiously and Kuroko smiled.

"You can open it when you get home. In the meantime, we have to go. I am sure your mother is waiting for you and if I am late to practice, the coach will have my head. Thank you, Nakashima-san." He said and bowed. The maid was extremely flustered.

"Tetsuya-sama! You promised you wouldn't' do that anymore!" She exasperated.

"It seems I have forgotten. I apologize." He bowed once more and Nakashima looked like she wanted to crawl into a hole.  
Kuroko gave out a minuscule smile that only Takao saw, and both departed from the house.

They walked in silence before they reached the intersection. Takao looked at Kuroko with grateful eyes.

"Thanks, by the way. For cheering me up." He said with a grin.  
"It was my pleasure." Kuroko responded but his eyes wandered behind the Shuutoku player. Takao, confused, turned his head around to see what Kuroko was looking at and gasped when he saw who it was.

He turned back to Kuroko, unsure of what to do, and looked at him for help.  
Kuroko merely looked at him blankly but even Takao wasn't dull enough to see the happiness in his eyes.

"Takao-kun, maybe the friendship is just going to get stronger." And with that, Kuroko bowed and walked away.

"Takao!" The voice called out and said person froze up visibly. Then, he took a deep breath and decided it was time to face the facts and try to fix it. He turned around and saw that the person was just a few feet away from him.

With a smile, he called out: "Shin-chan!"

* * *

**_A few years later (1st year University)_**

"Takao, is everything unloaded?" A tall man with shocking green hair called out as he set down a cardboard box.

"Yup! The one I'm carrying's the last one!" The other answered as he walked into the barren room filled with unopened boxes.

The two sighed in relief and the one with black hair sat on the floor, tired.

"Who knew it'd be this hard to move houses?"

"Don't complain. It's better than when we had to jump around from house to house to find the right one."

"Tell me about it. I'm just glad Tet-chan hooked us up with this one."

"Did Kuroko ever agree to your calling him that, Takao?"

Takao laughed and shook his head. "As if. You never agreed to it either but I still call you Shin-chan."  
The green-haired man pushed his glasses up. "It would be weird if you didn't."

Takao laughed once more. "Well, come on then. Let's start earlier we finish, the better."

His companion nodded and both started working, sweat glistening but both smiling at the fact that they could now live together.

* * *

They were almost finished when Midorima got ahold of a forgotten rectangular object and looked at it with confusion. Then, his eyes widened.

"Takao, what is this?" He asked and Takao peeked through the door. Then, he saw what Midorima was holding the portrait that he had gotten from Kuroko when they were still in high school. He gasped, completely forgetting that Midorima didn't know such a thing, and rushed to take it away from him. Midorima was ready, however, because he swiftly avoided his attack.

"Shin-chan, I can explain!" Takao said in panic as Midorima kept looking at the framed canvas.

"As expected of Kuroko. It is truly a magnificent piece." Midorima breathed and Takao stopped in his tracks.

"Huh?" He voiced in confusion and Midorima smiled at him.

"Even I must admit the skills Kuroko has. Where should we hang this?" Midorima inquired as he stood up with the painting. Takao looked after him in bewilderment before smiling back.

"Maybe the living room? Or the bedroom?" Takao suggested and they were about to discuss it a bit more when the doorbell rang.

Both looked at each other in confusion before Takao opened the door. His face immediately brightened when he saw who it was.

"Good evening, Takao-san, Midorima-san."

"Good evening to you too, Nakashima-san." Takao greeted back and she grinned. Takao opened the door a bit more and at this point, Midorima had walked over to where Takao was and stood beside him, also smiling.

"Come on in." MIdorima said but Nakashima shook her head.

"I have to go soon. I just came here to give you something to congratulate your move." She responded before she moved away from the door and the pair saw a wrapped package that was about the same size as the painting they had lying against the wall.

Both beamed as they knew what it was and quickly took it into their home. Nakashima bowed and bid them goodbye.

"Oh! And Tetsuya-sama sends his regards. He is extremely happy for you two." She added before leaving. The two waited until she left completely to close the door and open the wrapped gift.

When they did, Takao couldn't help but cry in joy.

"How does he always know what we want when we didn't even know we wanted it?" Takao marveled and Midorima wiped a few of Takao's tears away.

"This is going to be a problem." Midorima said and Takao looked at him strangely.

"Why?"

"I don't know where to hang these now. Should we put this one in the living room and this one in the bedroom?"

"Oh god, I swear this is going to take all night." Takao mumbled in glee and started arguing with his partner, both in basketball and life.

* * *

**So, how was it? Good, bad, meh? Tell me in the reviews!**

_**MidoTaka portrait 1 (high school): **_**_s-media - cache - ak0 . pinimg 736x / 1e / d8 / ea / 1ed8ea6508 f3bdafafa 09015a8 f7a7eb . jpg_**

**_MidoTaka portrait 2 (university): s - media - cache - ak0 . pinimg originals / 57 / fe / 3a / 57fe3a0b 08751a0099 32865b303f9558 . jpg_**

**Please take the time to vote on the poll for next time's chapter and I really hope you liked it.**

**Next week will probably be _Overseas_ but I'm not too sure.**

**Peace,**

**FlyAndDontLookBack**


	5. Himuro Tatsuya

**Jesus christ, this took way too long to update. i'll be honest with you here, I almost gave this story up entirely because of the immense writer's block I've been experiencing. I just didn't know how to make up a new story every time for each unique character, so I needed to take some time off.**

**I am not, I refuse to abandon another story. I am not letting any reader down ever again. It may take months and maybe years to upload again but I am not abandoning it in any case.**

**For the time being, I think I'm going to make this drabble very short, only focusing on the supporting characters and maybe some who have had very questionable personalities. Tell me what you guys want to see next chapter, and I'll also update the poll on my profile**

**Hope you like this chapter and don't forget to review and tell me what you think :)**

**So, without further ado, here is the next chapter!**

* * *

**HEADS UP**

**1\. This will completely ignore the time schemes. I'm going to upload the characters the order in which I want to write them at. So, for example, en chapter could be after the Winter Cup, and the next could be in the time when Seirin beat Kaijo at a practice match. I will put the time in which the chapter will be at, but I'm saying this now so you guys don't get confused. **

**2\. It is highly likely that the characters, aka victims, will be out of character. One because the plot demands it, and two because I can't get out of my comfort zone to write really mean characters (cough cough Hanamiya, Haizaki etc). So, forgive me if I can't really write these types of characters well and let us hope that I will be able to write them better i the near future. **

**3\. The portraits/paintings that I will mention in each chapter are pictures I found on the Internet. To give you guys a better perspective on the what the victims will be witnessing, I'll put the links up both at the end of the chapter and at my profile. Just remember to take away the spaces if you're too lazy to go click on my profile and find it there. There will sometimes be more than one painting the characters will witness. Also, in my profile, the links don't work if you click them, so you have to copy paste them, so heads up on that**

* * *

_Title: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words_

_Rating: T_

_Pairings: Himuro X Kagami (implied if you look really close but it's barely called a pairing here)_

_Time frame: After Kaijo VS Fukuda Sougo Match_

_Warning: none_

_Fifith Victim: Himuro Tatsuya_

* * *

Himuro couldn't help but wince as he touched his abdomen, exactly where he was kicked by a horrible man named Haizaki Shougo, who merely sought violence for the sake of violence. After losing to Seirin and meeting Alex and eventually him, his basketball team urged him to go to the closest hospital from the stadium straight away. Murasakibara was about to follow him like a lost puppy when the coach had stopped him and told him to watch the match of Kaijo and Fukuda Sougo, to see what Kise was going to do and who would ultimately win.

The checkup took longer than he had expected. He was so sure it would have ended in mere minutes and he would still have time to see the outcome of the match. Then he realized he would never be able to make it, especially since the nurses took their time talking and flirting with him.

Himuro sighed, holding his head as a raving headache threatened to take over his body. The ladies would not stop, and as the gentleman he was, he couldn't just outright reject them. Now the smell of the perfume was everywhere and the checkup did absolutely nothing for him. His whole body still hurt, both from the street fight and the intense basketball battle, and all he wanted to do now was to go back to the hotel room and sleep it out.

He began calling Murasakibara. A lazy yet alert voice picked up. "Muro-chin? What took you so long?" The purple-haired basketball prodigy asked. They both decided not to speak about the punch during their time out. It was for the better.

Himuro put on a tired smile, though he knew Murasakibara wasn't there to see it. "The checkup took some time to finish up. I'm out of the hospital now, but I have no idea where to go." Himuro sighed, cursing inwardly on his terrible sense of direction. It was already bad enough that he could barely walk out the streets in LA without getting lost, but he was living in Japan now, and he lived in a dormitory, for crying out loud. There wasn't particularly any reason to get out of the neighborhood unless it was for trips like this.

"Ah, what should we do? We already left to our hotel rooms and I don't know if you can get any more taxis." Murasakibara answered, his question dragging lazily. Murasakibara was right; there were no more taxis to roam the area, and if there were, they would most certainly not go through this dilapidated area where he was at.

Himuro resisted the urge to scream. "What _should_ we do? I barely know where I am right now." He said calmly, and while his face and tone was tranquil, he was secretly panicking inside. If there was one thing Himuro hated, it was having no idea what to do.

Then, "Muro-chin, which hospital did you go, anyways?"

Himuro scratched his head. "I just told the taxi driver to drive me to the nearest hospital. I think it was Chukyo Hospital. Why?"

There was a slight pause before Murasakibara started talking once more. "I think I know what you should do, Muro-chin. Do you see a small hill in front of you?"

Himuro looked carefully, the darkness shading most of his view. When he saw a small bump, he nodded. "Yeah, I do. I'm guessing I should go there?"

He heard some rustling, which he assumed were his grabbing another bag of chips. "Keep walking forward and there's going to a small alleyway to your left." Murasakibara said while munching on something. Himuro knew Murasakibara too well.

He started running to catch up with Murasakibara's instruction pace. He started forward and, as he ignored the pain in his abdomen, he found the small alleyway that the giant was talking about. It was suspicious, Himuro had to admit, but then again, when did dark, small, almost unseeable alleyways mean something good?

"Atsushi, I think I found the alleyway you're talking about. Exactly why am I going this way?"

"Trust me, Muro-chin. Take the alleyway and turn right when you get out."

"Why?" Himuro asked once more and Murasakibara gave him an annoyed grunt.

"Muro-chin, your questions are annoying." Murasakibara said and Himuro sighed, knowing better than to ask again. He slid his way through, carefully checking to see if there were any gangsters or bandits lying around, and he soon found himself walking in an empty street, void of anything except for a few flickering lights.

"Atsushi, I'm not imposing on your instructions in any way, but this seems very… suspicious to me." Himuro couldn't help but say and Murasakibara snorted.

"Imagine how we felt when we first went there." He replied, almost talking to himself, and Himuro raised an eyebrow. Was he talking about the rest of the Generation of Miracles? Nevertheless, he didn't question it and turned right, just like Murasakibara ordered.

It felt like he was walking aimlessly. "Where am I going?" He finally asked, exasperated.

"You're almost there, Muro-chin." Murasakibara answered vaguely and Himuro was extremely close to yelling at him to stop being so annoying (Murasakibara was starting to grow on him) when he finally saw it.

A giant mansion that was barely illuminated with the surrounding lights.

His jaw literally dropped. "Atsushi." He said, dumbfounded by the view.

"Yes, Muro-chin?" Murasakibara sounded annoyingly smug.

"What am I seeing right now exactly?"

"Are you seeing a really big house?"

Himuro nodded on the phone. "I do. What is this place? How did you know about it?"

"Press the doorbell. I'm sure he'll let you in if he knows you're hurt." Murasakibara then yawned. "I'm going to bed, Muro-chin. See you in the morning." And just like that, without any explanation of how he knew where this mansion was and who the owner of the house was, the phone clicked off.

Himuro cursed in a whisper as he put his phone back in his sports bag. Then, taking a deep breath, he rang the doorbell, anxiously waiting for a response.

"Hello?" An unfamiliar woman's voice answered and Himuro cleared his voice.

"Hello." He answered confidently. "I'm a bit lost and haven't the slightest idea where to go. Would you mind helping me?"

"Who is it?" Himuro heard a far away voice ask, which sounded very familiar to him, and the woman answered, "A person who says he's a bit lost." He could a hear a bit of rusting and whispering before the woman returned back to the inter phone. "May I ask who you are?"

"Himuro Tatsuya." He replied, a bit confused.

"Let him in." The familiar voice said and he could practically hear the woman nodding. The gates opened silently, ominously, and Himuro wondered if he was walking into a potential death trap. There was an enormous door waiting for him, and before he could knock on it, the door opened from the inside and out came a beautiful woman with a tightly wrapped bun, stance confident and slightly menacing.

She looked slightly surprised when she saw him. "You must be Himuro-san. Please, come in." She said, hiding her small blush that was forming on her cheeks. Himuro pretended not to notice as he entered carefully.

His breath was taken away as he was hit by the sight of the interior of the mansion. It was beautifully decorated, gold and white lacing together to make a serene mood. There were stairs, also laced with the same colors, that curved upward, and Himuro had the sudden urge to know what was up there.

"Hello, Himuro-san." The same voice from the inter phone said and Himuro scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. Who just…?

"Himuro-san?" He looked down to where the voice was and jumped in surprise, seeing Kuroko Tetsuya in the flesh.

"K-Kuroko-san?" Himuro asked in disbelief, and the boy in front of him looked unfazed by his reaction. Himuro should've known that he'd be used to it.

"What brings you to my home?" Kuroko asked politely and for a second, they were both silent, the words sinking in. Then,

"This is _your_ home?" HImuro asked, his voice loud and completely unlike himself. To be honest, it was a perfectly normal reaction when one finds out that one of his rivals turns out to be extremely rich.

"It is." Kuroko answered simply, nodding once. His eyes then scanned Himuro and widened slightly. "Himuro-san, are you hurt?"

HImuro was taken back. "I am. How did you know?"

"Your clothes have a footprint on it. Did you get kicked?" Kuroko asked bluntly and Himuro laughed softly while the rubbing the back of his neck.

"It would seem so. Now, I'm sorry to impose, but I am a bit lost, so would you mind -"

"Nakashima-san, can you bring us the first aid kit?" He ordered and the woman who opened the door, Nakashima, bowed before leaving the room. Kuroko looked slightly uncomfortable with that that Himuro couldn't help but laugh a bit.

"Are you not used to people bowing to you like that?" He asked casually and Kuroko smiled slightly.

"I do not like it when people bow to me. I have done nothing to deserve it."

"You _do_ technically own this house." Himuro pointed out.

"My father does. I am merely his son." Kuroko replied curtly and Nakashima soon came back with the first aid kit, which looked battered and old. They moved to a room that had a glass island with various chairs and a neatly made bed for some reason.

The three people sat down and Kuroko turned to Himuro with his swirling chair.

"Himuro-san, where did you get hurt?" Kuroko asked and while HImuro dreaded having another check up with a woman in the same room, he unconsciously touched his still stinging abdomen. Kuroko noticed and looked at him worryingly.

"Does it hurt badly?" He asked and Himuro shook his head with a smile.

"I've already gone to the hospital, so I don't need to have another -" Himuro yelped as Kuroko suddenly touched his stomach.

"Himuro-san, you are clearly not ok. Pardon my rudeness, but I must ask you to take off your jacket and shirt so that we can see the damage."

Himuro coughed uncomfortably, eyeing Nakashima, and she took the hint instantly.

"Tetsuya-sama, I'll be out for a moment. Can you take care of this yourself?" She asked politely and Kuroko, getting the hint as well, nodded.

"Of course, Nakashima-san. While you're out, would you mind getting the guest room ready?"

Nakashima gave Kuroko a caring smile. "I will be right on it." And with that, she left the room.

Kuroko turned to Himuro, giving him a questioning look which Himuro answered with a satisfied one.

"Sorry, I was feeling a bit uncomfortable." Himuro said awkwardly.

Kuroko shook his head. "It is understandable. Would you mind taking off your shirt now?" Himuro complied and a bruise that was still ripe and purple was exposed. Kuroko's eyebrows furrowed at the sight of it. Then, he took out a bottle and sprayed a generous amount of the solution to it.

Himuro gasped at the sudden coldness but soon started feeling better, more alleviated by the second. The pain seemed to disappear instantaneously.

"That is wonderful." Himuro said, his voice getting drowsy. "What is that?"

"Something for bruises. Of course, it will still hurt in the morning but until then, it will help with the pain. Do you feel better?"

"Absolutely marvelous. Thank you, Kuroko-san."

"It is my pleasure." Kuroko replied, and they both got out the room. "I am sure Nakashima-san has finished preparing the room, so let us go."

"Oh no, I don't need to -"

"Himuro-san, it is almost midnight. It is too dangerous to go out." Kuroko said and Himuro looked at the grandfather clock, the minute hand almost striking 12. Himuro sighed, and finally understood how Murasakibara knew where this place was. The Generation of Miracles must have been great friends in middle school. Of course, there would be a time when they would visit or at least find Kuroko's house. He was just surprised Murasakibara could remember the directions so well.

"Well then, please pardon my intrusion." He said and they started going up the stairs. Kuroko went first, as he knew the place, and Himuro saw a blotch of paint on the back of his shirt.

"Do you paint, Kuroko-san?" Himuro asked and Kuroko hesitated for a second.

"Ah, where did you get that conclusion, Himuro-san?" He asked as he turned around and Himuro pointed to the back of his shirt.

"There's some paint here." He answered and Kuroko looked at the blotch for a second before sighing.

"Another shirt to be washed, I suppose. Yes, I do paint when I have free time. I am actually working on a project that I must finish so I've been focusing on that lately. Of course, tomorrow we have the match with Kaijo, so I won't be able to do much, but I can squeeze in a few hours to keep working."

"So Kaijo did win, didn't it? It was to be expected. Kise-san is a Generation of Miracle, after all." Himuro said, regret and disappointment slightly covering his normal, poke face tone. Kuroko caught it but merely shrugged.

"It was a very close match."

"Was it really?" Himuro asked in surprise.

Kuroko nodded, and they finally reached the top of the staircase that now led to a large hallway. "Kise-kun was up against Haizaki-kun," Himuro hesitated slightly at the name, "and they never could get along with each other, even in middle school. They had very similar styles in basketball, but Kise-kun persevered." Kuroko's eyes hardened. "We are up against Kaijo tomorrow. We will win." Kuroko said, his voice filled with determination, and Himuro somehow knew that he and Seirin would win against them. It was a small probability but hey, they won against Yosen, didn't they? Himuro was sure Seirin could conquer anything.

Himuro smiled at Kuroko and they walked down the hallway silently but comfortably. Himuro couldn't help but admire the scenery bestowed upon him. The chandeliers that dangled and sparkled with the golden light, the colorful pots of flowers, especially the bouquets of water lilies, that prevented the hallways from being dull and dragged down, and finally, the various paintings that were hung on the walls. Himuro's breath was taken away once again, and a particular painting of a man with a cape carelessly slung over and a crown that was close to falling off his head pulled him in. It felt as though it was talking to him, telling him that he had been and would always be a fallen king.

"Kuroko-san, did you paint all of these?" He asked, eyes gazed towards that one painting. Kuroko stopped and turned around, nodding. "I did."

"They are beautiful. They just suck you in." Himuro said dazedly. Kuroko grabbed his wrist and pulled him, snapping Himuro out of his stupor.

"I apologize for being so rude, Himuro-san, but you must be tired and still hurt."

Himuro didn't listen to him. In fact, he wasn't thinking straight at all. "Do you think you can make that same effect with me as a model?" He asked bluntly, and immediately came back to his senses, covering his mouth in shock.

"I - What did I just say?" Himuro stuttered to himself, having no idea what just happened, and was about to apologize to Kuroko for his sudden imposition, when Kuroko nodded to his plan. Himuro's eyes widened confusion.

"Eh? Wait, really?" He asked and Kuroko nodded once more.

"I would actually love to, Himuro-san."

"But, you have one of your most important matches tomorrow, don't you?" Himuro pointed out, still wondering why he had asked such a silly question in the first place.

Kuroko shrugged. "A simple portrait will not take that much time. I will be ok." Kuroko brushed off and they started walking once more until they arrived at a simple door, which was unadorned unlike the other rooms.

"My room is a bit… messy. Please watch your step." Kuroko warned as he opened the door. Himuro was met with the epitome of an art studio. It was filled with newspapers, both old and new that were covered with splatters of paint, canvases spread out, paintbrushes and paint buckets scattered, and several finished paintings that hung on the wall. Himuro stepped in and immediately went to the canvases that held amazing portraits of various people, some he never met before and some he had.

The most eye-catching one was of his brother, Kagami Taiga, fist bumping a smaller drawn Kuroko Tetsuya. They were filled with sweat, but their expressions were determined and passionate. The water that flicked off them glistened, almost making them shine like main lights at a stage. The words Seirin blared in red and the black clashed with it harmoniously, furthering the impact.

The main point was their fist bump, surely the sign of an eternal bond being formed. It was so elegantly placed, and showed so much promise and hope that his heart secretly hurt. He remembered when he and Kagami had that kind of bond. He wondered if it was there at all anymore.

Himuro couldn't help but admire his brother, though he secretly hated him for being so talented at basketball. He couldn't help but loathe his talent, and at the same time, he was immensely proud. The expression Kagami had in the painting was not the first time he saw it. It was also there when they had played against each other, when they went all out in the Seirin-Yosen match. He had also seen it when they were in America, in LA, playing street ball with their friends in the scorching sun, caring for nothing but having fun.

He missed those days terribly.

"Himuro-san?" Kuroko's voice penetrated through is thoughts and Himuro turned around to see Kuroko sitting on a wooden chair in front of a white, empty canvas. "Are you ready?" He asked and Himuro walked over to him.

"I am."

* * *

"Did you draw that, Kuroko-san?" Himuro asked, trying to keep his face frozen. He glanced sideways at Kuroko and saw his intense concentration. Himuro decided not to question him while Kuroko was at work, but just when he figured Kuroko hadn't heard him, he answered.

"I did." Kuroko answered simply.

Himuro took it as a sign to keep going. "It is a lovely painting. It really portrays the bond you two have. The fist bump makes it all better. You truly are a well-matching pair." He complimented, also feeling something stab his heart.

Kuroko stayed silent for a moment, and Himuro focused on his pencil strokes. It looked careless but at the same time, completely in control.

"I believe it will never match the bond you two have had in the past. You are his brother, are you not?" Kuroko then said and Himuro shrugged.

"We were. But not anymore. You heard our promise in the match, didn't you? Since Taiga won, I have no right to call myself his big brother anymore." Himuro said, feeling immensely saddened for some reason. There was an inexplicable burden landing on his chest as he spoke those words. It felt as though he didn't really mean it.

Kuroko got the implication and gave him a pointed look. "Did you know that Kagami-kun went out to find you and talk to you about that?"

Himuro nodded, remembering when Kagami suddenly came to protect him. He would never admit it but at that moment, it felt as if Kagami were the bigger brother, protecting Himuro from the bad guys they had encountered many times back in LA.

"He still wants to be your little brother, HImuro-san." Kuroko stated and Himuro couldn't help but snort slightly at that.

"Really? Because it doesn't feel like that."

"How so?" Kurt asked, a simple yet profound question that made Himuro hesitate.

He never really delved deep into it. He thought about it. "I don't know. Maybe it's just the pride of being the older brother? I was the one who taught him basketball, you know?"

"Really?" Kuroko then asked, still focused on the portrait but listening intently as well.

Himuro smiled at the memory. "Yeah. Taiga was so socially awkward, especially since he had just moved and didn't know any English at the time. I saw him walking, asked him if he wanted to join me and my friends to a basketball match, and from then on, I taught him everything I knew about basketball. Then Alex came in and helped even further."

"It seems Kagami-kun has really been influenced by you, Himuro-san. Had you not approached him, he would have never played basketball."

The thought had never occurred to him before, Kagami not picking up a basketball. "I guess not." Himuro answered reluctantly.

"I can understand why Kagami-kun didn't want to lose you as an older brother. It was all because of you that he could develop this passion for basketball."

Himuro shrugged and then remembered to keep still. "I suppose so. But now, it seems Taiga is the older brother now." He confessed and sighed soon afterwards. Kuroko was still working on the portrait, now moving onto shading. "You're not going to paint?" He asked as Kuroko got up to sharpen his pencil.

Kuroko shook his head. "I believe that shading would suit you better, Himuro-san." Himuro respected the judgement and let Kuroko finish his work.

"Why do you believe that Kagami-kun has become the older brother? It seems Kagami-kun still relies on you the most."

"Well," Himuro started, "Taiga has grown so much. He's become into something that I can only aspire to be. He's passed me long ago, but I still hold onto the hope that I can still get there, still get to the level that Taiga has gone to." Himuro's eyes casted down as his words echoed back to him.

There it was. The confession he dreaded to say, out in the open.

Just as he was about close his eyes in misery, a flash of pink caught his eye and he narrowed his eyes to get a better view of it. It looked like a background of cheery blossoms, but there was a hint of skin as well. Curious and completely forgetting about Kuroko, he walked over to that flash of pink. He picked it up slowly and glanced at it once before seeing his own brother looking at him.

Himuro turned around, a surprised yet uncertain look flashing over him, and showed Kuroko the painting he found. Kuroko said nothing, merely letting Himuro become overcome by his struggling emotions.

"What is this?" Himuro said with much effort.

"It is a picture of Kagami-kun." Kuroko replied.

Himuro lost his temper. "I know it's Taiga! What I'm asking is what this painting is! What are you trying to portray?"

Kuroko was not fazed by the sudden outburst. Instead of answering his question, Kuroko replied with a question of his own. "What do you think it portrays?"

Himuro froze before looking back the painting, his eyes skimming over every detail he could catch. The clear blue sky, each painful detail of the cherry blossoms in the background, the ray of sunshine in a form of a basketball, and Kagami Taiga looking down, holding the ball on the top while another hand was on the bottom. Kagami looked almost ethereal, as if he were an angel bestowed upon them. It felt as if Kagami was a blessing to be given.

HImuro started smiling. "Taiga's gift of making people feel wanted." He finally answered, the terrible burden in his chest lifting slowly. A few drops of tears touched it, and Himuro quickly wiped them away.

Kuroko smiled and got off his stool to admire the painting with Himuro. "I painted this after our rematch with Aomine-kun. I had just realized how blessed I was to have met Kagami-kun. Had it not been for him, we never would have gotten this far."

"He really is something, isn't he?" Himuro mused, looking at Kagami's soft smile. He then looked at the hand at the bottom of the painting. "Is that you?" He pointed out and Kuroko shook his head.

"I had originally wanted that, but after a while, I could see not only myself but the rest of the team."

"So you left it ambiguous on purpose."

Kuroko nodded. "The hand is for anyone who has been touched by Kagami-kun's generosity and kindness. He has done so much for us, even if he does not know it."

"An angel's blessing, huh?" Himuro told himself softly. Kuroko still nodded and went back to his stool, finishing the final touches of Himuro's profile. The room was silent as Kuroko kept scratching the canvas with his various pencils and Himuro still gazing at the painting. Kuroko could really capture the depth of his subject.

He realized he couldn't stop crying.

Then, "Himuro-san?" Kuroko asked and Himuro turned away from him, wiping away more tears before presenting himself as best as possible.

"Yes?" He answered, voice hoarse. Kuroko gestured him to sit down, which he did, and he finally flipped the canvas over to show Himuro the portrait of himself.

Needless to say, he was breathless.

* * *

It was a few months after the end of the Winter Cup when Himuro stumbled upon Kuroko's house again. It really wasn't his fault, to be honest. He was lost again, though he adamantly refused to admit it.

Himuro sighed as combed his hand through his hair. Yosen was back in action, starting basketball practice once more and as the newly appointed captain, he needed to lead his team to victory. They decided to stay a week or so in Tokyo to get some good practice matches, mainly Seirin and the Generation of Miracles, and after settling into their regular hotel, Murasakibara came into his room groaning, telling him that he may or may not have eaten something rotten and needed to go to the hospital.

They went to Chukyo Hospital but with Murasakibara drowsy from the medicine he ate, he was in no way functional to help Himuro with directions. So, he had no choice but to rely on his own memory to find their way back. That backfired immediately because he ended up unconsciously coming back here, with Murasakibara leaning on his shoulder for support.

After his embarrassing moment with Kuroko a few months back, in which he was a crying mess in front of him, he wished to never relive it again by coming back here, but at the moment, he had no choice but to get some help because Murasakibara was close to crushing him to the ground.

He rang the doorbell with great difficulty and a familiar woman's voice answered.

"Yes? Who is this?"

"Himuro… Tatsuya." He managed to say as he hoisted Murasakibara up. Nakashima took a second to open the gates and Himuro had to literally pull Murasakibara to the door. Thankfully, there were servants working outside to help him and when he got to the door, it was already opened for him.

Nakashima greeted him with a kind smile, which he immediately returned.

"Hello, Nakashima-san."

"Hello to you, too, Himuro-kun. Tetsuya-sama has just woken up."

"Really? It's almost 4 in the afternoon." He commented in surprise. Nakashima shrugged.

"Apparently he stayed up all night to finish a painting." She answered vaguely, giving him a curious smile. A familiar figure walked down the stairs, and Himuro couldn't help but chuckle at Kuroko's teal-colored polka dotted pajamas. His hair was ungodly as they spiked in various directions that seemed impossible to achieve. Kuroko yawned as he rubbed his eye and took a moment to register the people in his house.

Then, he tilted his head. "Himuro-san? What a surprise." He said in his regular monotone voice. Himuro smiled. "You don't sound surprised at all, Kuroko-kun."

Kuroko shrugged and took a glance at a still drowsy Murasakibara. "I am surprised. This is how I normally react." Somehow, that was easy to believe.

"Hello, Murasakibara-kun." Kuroko then directed his attention to Murasakibara, who was hoisted by several butlers. The giant waved lazily.

"Heeeeey, Kuro-chin~" He answered sleepily. "Can I go to bed now?"

"Of course, we still have your room ready, just for you." Kuroko said with a smile and Murasakibara giggled like a five-year old kid. He clapped his hands eagerly.

"Yay~ Let's have another sleepover, Kuro-chin. I miss our sleepovers~"

"Maybe next time, Murasakibara-kun. Please take care of him." Kuroko bowed to the butlers, who looked extremely uncomfortable with that, and hurriedly dragged the purple-haired giant to his room.

"What happened to him? He seems drowsier than usual." Kuroko commented and Himuro shrugged.

"He got a bit sick eating rotten food."

Kuroko's eyes widened for a second. "Really? He's never gotten sick when he ate rotten food in middle school."

"Wait, are you saying Atsushi never got a stomachache before?"

Kuroko nodded his head in confirmation. "Not once in middle school, even when we advised him not to eat them."

Himuro shook his head in disbelief. "Atsushi is amazing."

"He is." A sudden lightbulb lit up above Kuroko's head. "Ah, this is a great opportunity. Himuro-san, would you mind coming to my room? There is something I must show you." Kuroko said and Himuro hesitated. Did he really want to go back to the place where he couldn't compose himself throughout the entire night?

Kuroko noticed the faltering human and smiled softly. "It won't be long."

Himuro couldn't say no to a face like that. He smiled back and they both started walking to the stairs. The black haired beauty remembered all the details that the hallways contained, though now, for some reason, the new paintings hung had more color and happiness to it.

"When did you change all these paintings?" He asked as they passed by a painting of two people holding hands and being surrounding by petals of cherry blossom flowers. If he remember correctly, that was the same place the fallen king had stood.

Kuroko shrugged. "I had some time to myself. I decided to change the mood up a bit."

"Do your parents mind?"

"My parents are rarely here to see it. Even if they did, they wouldn't care as much. They like my paintings." Himuro could see the happiness in Kuroko's eyes when the teal-haired student mentioned that.

The finally arrived to Kuroko's room, which was still unadorned as before, and opened it carefully, the newspaper rustling from behind. Himuro saw that it was still as messy as, if not more than, before. He stepped in, careful not to accidentally step on a random paintbrush on the ground, and followed Kuroko to the center of the room, which had nothing except piles of finished canvases.

Kuroko began searching, placing the trivial canvases beside the pile, making another one in the process. Halfway through, he stopped and grabbed the chosen canvas. He looked at Himuro expectantly and Himuro remembered when Kuroko gave him the portrait he had done of him the next morning, right after they both fell asleep from comforting Himuro. He'd rather not talk about that moment, his lowest point.

"This is for you. I hope you like it." Kuroko said as he handed the canvas to Himuro. For a moment, he refused to look down, and mentally prepared himself for the worst. He was not going to be the emotional wreck he was like last time.

He took a deep breath and look down. Immediately, he gasped and almost lost his grip on the painting. He looked at Kuroko in shock and disbelief and once more looked back to the painting.

"H-how?" He could barely whisper and Kuroko gave him a small smile.

"I asked Kagami-kun on his experiences in America once and he showed him a picture that Alex-san had taken while you two were playing. I could barely stop myself from drawing as soon as I started."

Himuro kept looking at the painted canvas, the two boys smiling happily at each other, their rings gleaming against a clear blue sky. The younger versions of themselves gazed at each other attentively, just waiting for the chance to make another basket, and their rings were swinging to the rhythm of their body movements. They seemed happy, completely oblivious to the future that lied ahead, and they looked as if they hadn't a care in the world.

Himuro hated himself for still crying even after mentally preparing himself.

Before he knew it, he hugged Kuroko tightly, his hand still gripped on the painting, and buried his head against Kuroko's shoulder to hide the tears that were trailing down his cheek.

"I don't know why you did this, even though I've done nothing for you, but thank you _so much._" Himuro said, his voice muffled but still extremely clear to hear.

Kuroko returned the hug. "What do you mean you have done nothing? Understanding my sorrows and happiness is gift enough." And that was when Himuro realized how much pain Kuroko had gone through to be the person he was today.

* * *

**So how was it? Good, bad, meh? Tell me in the reviews!**

**Kagami X Kuroko: **_**2 . bp . blogspot -qpc6jel1oaU / UmX6iTgsbEI / AAAAAAAAKRQ / f7evm-7cu5A / s2560 / kuroko . no . basket . tetsuya . kuroko . kagami . taiga . playing . basketball . wallpaper404 . com . 1440x900 . jpg**_

**Kagami Taiga: _static . zerochan Kagami . Taiga . full . 1540801 . jpg_**

**Himuro X Kagami: _images6 . fanpop image / photos / 35700000 / - KnB-Kagami - Himuro-kuroko-no-basuke - 35755413 - 600-519 . jpg_**

**Just a little heads up: I won't be uploading much for my other stories because I've recently been focusing on this one completely new story that I just need to finish. It is something that I really want it to turn out well and I won't be posting it until I am done writing it. Please await it and understand the situation I'm in.**

**Tell me who you'd like to see be the sixth victim and I'll try my best to think of a good scenario :)**

**Peace,**

**FlyAndDontLookBack**


	6. Kasamatsu Yukio

**Holy shit, it's a Christmas fucking miracle. After practically a year of not updating this story, I have finally made a comeback. I am so sorry for taking so long but I know I'm going to have to keep this story short. I'm going to do one more with Rakuzan, a special chapter, and finally get to both GoM and Seirin. Thankfully, I know what to do for three of them but Rakuzan is a bit of a worry. Tell me which character from Rakuzan you'd like to see me write about in the reviews :)**

**Anyways, this chapter is gonna clash a bit with Himuro's chapter because the timeline is a bit messed up. Let's just assume that, for this universe, Himuro's story didn't happen. I really did try my best to have the timeline going ok but Kasamatsu's situation couldn't fit anywhere else other than this particular period. So please, just assume that Himuro's story didn't happen for this drabble.**

**Hope you like this chapter and I'll try to update soon (sigh)**

**So, without further ado, here is the next chapter!**

* * *

HEADS UP

1\. This will completely ignore the time schemes. I'm going to upload the characters the order in which I want to write them at. So, for example, en chapter could be after the Winter Cup, and the next could be in the time when Seirin beat Kaijo at a practice match. I will put the time in which the chapter will be at, but I'm saying this now so you guys don't get confused.

2\. It is highly likely that the characters, aka victims, will be out of character. One because the plot demands it, and two because I can't get out of my comfort zone to write really mean characters (cough cough Hanamiya, Haizaki etc). So, forgive me if I can't really write these types of characters well and let us hope that I will be able to write them better i the near future.

portraits/paintings that I will mention in each chapter are pictures I found on the Internet. To give you guys a better perspective on the what the victims will be witnessing, I'll put the links up both at the end of the chapter and at my profile. Just remember to take away the spaces if you're too lazy to go click on my profile and find it there. There will sometimes be more than one painting the characters will witness. Also, in my profile, the links don't work if you click them, so you have to copy paste them, so heads up on that

* * *

_Title: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words_

_Rating: T_

_Pairing: implied Kasamatsu X Kise (very very implied)_

_Time frame:Right after Kaijo VS Fukuda Sougo match_

_Warning: implied, extremely subtle rape mention (trigger warning)_

_Sixth victim: Kasamatsu Yukio_

* * *

"Do you think I wanted to leave him alone in the hospital? The nurses chucked me out before I could even open my mouth to protest! Vile women, I swear." Kasamatsu swore as he walked away from Chukyo hospital, the only hospital that was closest to the stadium.

_"Are you sure that they chucked you out or did you just leave the room the moment they came in?" _Kasamatsu's friend, Moriyama, commented and Kasamatsu's eyes narrowed slightly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked skeptically and he could imagine Moriyama shrug.

_"I mean, you've always had an irrational fear of them. I just assumed that you didn't want the nurses touching you, so that's why you just willingly left."_

"I didn't willingly leave. They really did chuck me out." Kasamatsu said but that was only half true.

Moriyama merely sighed, noticing the half-baked lie. _"Whatever you say. In any case, maybe they wanted some alone time with Kise. He _is_ a model, you know."_

"Shit, should I go back?" He asked in worry.

Moriyama chuckled. _"I think he's going to be just fine. Anyways, Kasamatsu, everyone's already at the hotel. When are you coming?"_

Kasamatsu cursed. "When do the taxis stop running?"

_"At 10."_

"And it's already 10:30. Shit, how am I going to go back? I really should go back to the hospital, shouldn't I? I'm worried about Kise, too, so it's going to be a good opportunity."

_"Would you really be able to do that? Do you really think the nurses will let you?"_

"I could sneak in."

Moriyama sounded unconvinced. _"Maybe. Call Kise and check if the nurses are all there. Call me if you find some shelter. Oh, and if you find any cute nurses who are willing to give out their phone numbers, definitely call me back."_

"I will smack you if you don't shut it." Kasamatsu said in annoyance and ended the call with the ever failing womanizer. He then called Kise, praying that there would be no women inside.

His prayers were not answered. _"Yes?"_ He heard Kise whisper on the phone. Kasamatsu could distinctly hear all the feminine chatter in the background.

"Kise, are all the nurses still there?" Kasamatsu asked and he could practically see Kise nodding his head vigorously.

_"Help me, senpai. There are so many of them and I don't think they're here to check on my foot. What do I do?"_

"I can't sneak in, can I?"

_"Please just get me out of here."_

Kasamatsu rubbed the back of his head. "I wish I could but I can't go back to your room with all those nurses there."

_"I think you could. You could just have to say you're a visitor and the nurses would leave."_ Kise explained but Kasamatsu rubbed the back of his neck. Just the thought of going in a room filled with women made him want to vomit. If he didn't know any better, he would say he was afraid to go in. Not that he was ever going to admit it, though.

"I highly doubt they would just leave like that. Sorry Kise, but I won't be able to go."

There was pause on the phone and he could then hear Kise talking to one of the nurses who sounded like she was flirting. _"Right, I guess it would be difficult. What should I do?"_

"You're the patient, aren't you? Tell them you're tired and want to be alone. They have to listen to you then."

_"I already tried but they won't listen to me."_

Kasamatsu swore. "Shit, and I needed some place to stay. I can't even get a taxi because they don't operate at this time anymore."

_"Senpai, you're stranded?"_ Kise asked in surprise and Kasamatsu shut his mouth in a hurry. He didn't want to sound so desperate.

"Ah, yeah." He replied awkwardly and there was a silence from the blond model, the only sound being the decreasing volume of chatter. He then heard Kise asking for permission to take a call from his manager in quiet and the door closing shut.

_"Finally, I can think clearer. Senpai, if you don't have anywhere to go —"_

"It's fine, Kise. I can walk to the hotel. You don't have to worry so much." Kasamatsu hurriedly said, cutting Kise off before he could finish his sentence. No matter how worried he was about the blond, he couldn't, for the sake of his life, go back to the place where there were so many women. He couldn't because he knew he would end up collapsing.

_"Senpai, where are you right now?"_ Kise suddenly asked with a weird tone of voice that he's never heard before.

Kasamatsu looked around. "Still a bit close to the hospital you're staying at. Why?"

_"I think there might be a place for you to stay in for the night, senpai."_

"Really, where?" Kasamatsu said, his interest peaking. Kise was silent for a second, almost like he was taking a moment to draw up a plan.

Then, _"Just stay there. Let me call someone up to pick you up because it's a bit difficult to navigate."_

"Wait, who's this someone? Is it someone I know? Where exactly am I going to go?"

_"I'll have to hang up. Just stay where you are, senpai!"_ The phone clicked, ending the call and the beeping echoing in the sullen night. Kasamatsu looked at his phone skeptically, albeit a bit angrily, and quickly called Kise's phone number, only to have the automated voice say that it was currently busy.

He clicked his tongue in annoyance but was a bit curious and desperate to see who this person was. It was obviously someone Kise knew, meaning that they couldn't be dangerous people, and even if his underclassman did know some sketchy individuals, Kasamatsu was certain that Kise wouldn't send one his way. Then again, he wondered who Kise was thinking of. Kise, being the model he is, had various connections with different people, so it wouldn't be that surprising to have someone he knew live in this part of the street. But it worried the steely-eyed man if the person Kise was thinking of was a woman.

He absolutely could not handle women.

About 5 minutes passed after his phone call with Kise and Kasamatsu was getting jittery. The thought that a woman would come to take him in was terrifying and just thinking about it more made him want to throw up. His hands started to shake a bit, his knees turning weak, and he was almost out of saliva, his mouth going dry.

He couldn't take the suspense anymore. Quickly, he dialed Kise's number. Thankfully, after the third ring, he picked up.

_"Are you on your way?"_ Kise asked the first thing he picked up.

"No, and I am this close to going to the hospital and hitting you. Who is this person you're talking about and what are you not telling me?"

_"Ah, you don't have to worry, senpai. It's only K —"_

"Is that him?" Kasamatsu heard a female voice call out. He whipped his head to that direction, squinting a bit because it was too dark to make out the shadow coming from the opposite side. Immediately, he went on guard, his body frozen in place. The phone in his hand dropped, leaving Kise's voice to a whisper.

Soon, a woman with a petite form, her hair tied to a bun and slightly tossled, came jogging his way. Kasamatsu took a step back, intimidated, but couldn't actually run away. He didn't know why but he assumed that maybe this was the person Kise mentioned. He looked at his hand that didn't have his phone anymore, and he quickly looked down to see his phone lying there in oblivion. Kasamatsu crouched, trying his best to ignore the woman that was right in front of him, and very rudely, he started talking on the phone without acknowledging the woman's presence.

"Kise, you better have a good explanation for this." Kasamatsu growled, purposefully avoiding his eyes from the woman who was patiently waiting for his call to end.

_"Did you meet him yet?"_

"Him? What are you talking about? There's only —"

"Is that Kise-kun? May I speak with him?" A very familiar voice asked and Kasamatsu made a very confused face. Where in the world did that voice come from? And why was that voice so familiar to him?

"Kasamatsu-san?" The voice said and Kasamatsu jumped at the fact that a ghost he couldn't see, who was apparently extremely close to him, knew his name.

Ghost? Familiar voice?

Kasamatsu looked down and narrowed his eyes a bit to focus. And just like that, he could see teal hair, almost blinding in the moonless night. He jumped a few steps back at the sudden appearance of Kuroko Tetsuya, his opponent and Kise's old friend.

"Kuroko! When the hell did you come here?"

"I was always here, Kasamatsu-san. May I talk to Kise-kun?" Kuroko merely asked, not at all fazed by Kasamatsu's reaction. He, feeling a bit guilty at his sudden action, nodded and gave Kuroko his phone.

He took it with a bow and walked a few feet away from where Kasamatsu was standing. While the phantom man was talking the call, he suddenly realized there was another presence in front of him, one that made him uncomfortable to the bone.

Remembering his rudeness in the beginning, he bowed formally but no words could come out. When he stood back up, he saw that the woman was also bowing and Kasamatsu took that moment to see that she was wearing very formal, almost servant-like clothing. If his eyes were not deceiving, this woman was most likely working as a maid from a rich family.

"I apologize for the sudden appearance. The young master was extremely worried and was rushing to find you." The woman apologized.

Kasamatsu couldn't speak. The words in his mouth died down as he tried to stutter a simple apology back or at least ask who this 'young master' was. Instead, the only thing he could answer back was "Ah, yes."

The woman glanced at him with a confused look and Kasamatsu bit his lip in embarrassment. When the woman stood up again to inspect him, taking a step forward to look at him closer, he unconsciously took a few steps back further. The woman stopped in her steps, looking extremely guilty, and that made Kasamatsu's day even worse. Not only did Kise injure his foot, but he had also just hurt a stranger's feelings because of his stupid mistake. It was bad enough that Kise's injury made him feel so small and helpless as a captain, but now he was absolutely _weak_ in the eyes of a woman he had never met before.

It was infuriating for him to be like this.

Before he could try once again to apologize, Kuroko came back with his phone.

"Thank you for lending me your phone, Kasamatsu-san. Let us go." Kuroko said as he gave his phone back. Kasamatsu took and saw how hot it was. How long did he stay out here with the woman? What was Kuroko even talking to Kise about?

"Wait, where are we going?" He asked and Kuroko glanced back at him for a second.

"To my home. Kise-kun told me your situation and I would be more than happy to lend you our guest room."

Kasamatsu looked at the woman next to Kuroko for a second and, as if she had eyes behind her back, she turned around and met his gaze. Kasamatsu froze, his legs going in shock, and the woman's eyes widened as she bowed down hastily.

"I apologize. My actions were a bit rude." She commented, her posture formal and her hands on top of each other. Kuroko watched Kasamatsu with unreadable eyes and stayed quiet. Said person was struggling to speak, to tell her that it was ok and she didn't need to bow every time something happened.

She wasn't the one at wrong. He was the wrong one here.

"Um, Kuroko, I just need a ride to the hotel. I don't need to —"

"Kasamatsu-san, I would not mind at all. And it is too late to drive around. It would be too dangerous as well."

"But —"

Kuroko was persistent but that didn't mean Kasamatsu was as well. They began arguing, rival between rival, stranger between stranger, and it grew on until both Kuroko and the woman stopped in front of very intimidating gates.

Kasamatsu stopped his reasoning to gaze at the enormous shadow in his perspective. The lights in the windows shone, giving him more view of what was in front of him, and his jaw dropped when he realized he was seeing a mansion. An actual mansion, one that would only be imaginable in movies. Did Japan even have the space for something as huge as this?

And what was more, the woman was opening the door and Kuroko was going in as if he had done this a thousand times.

"Young master?" Kasamatsu muttered under his breath, remembering what the woman had said previously, and he was still very skeptical with his own train of thought; that is, until the door opened and he was exposed to a ray of gold and white. Servants were lined up in two straight lines, and all bowed as they entered.

"Welcome back, Tetsuya-sama." They all said and that was all it took to let the puzzle pieces click and Kasamatsu's mind to completely shatter.

"Tet— Wh— What?" Kasamatsu bellowed in utter puzzlement and like the little shit he was, Kuroko didn't even blink at his reaction. Instead he asked one of the servants if he could get the guest room prepared and asked another to heat up some left over chicken.

"But young master, we can prepare a cuisine instead. Why the leftovers?" The servant said in a distressed voice and Kuroko looked at Kasamatsu for approval.

Cuisine? Did he mean something fancy at 11 at night? As much as he was curious to see what he meant by cuisine, that was just imposing too much. He shook his head, equally as distressed. "I'm not that hungry. You don't have to prepare any dinner for me."

"You need to eat Kasamatsu-san." Kuroko stated and Kasamatsu's stomach growled angrily. He held onto it to be quiet, but he couldn't lie to both himself and Kuroko.

With a broken smile, he answered, "Chicken would be great, actually." The servant bowed and Kuroko tried to get him to stand up. The look on his face was something the senior hadn't seen before, and it made him want to laugh.

Then, he felt something touch his shoulder and saw that a maid, not the woman he walked with, was tapping him slightly.

"Sir, if you would like to accompany me, I shall —"

Her words were lost as Kasamatsu yelled in surprise. "Get away!" He screamed and the mansion, if it wasn't quiet before, was definitely silent now. Everyone, the servants, the maids, even Kuroko himself, looked at the scene with wide eyes. Kasamatsu was trembling, holding his shoulder tightly, and the maid looked both lost and terrified.

She bowed as quickly as she could. "I'm so sorry. I'll leave right this instant. Excuse me." She said, covering her face in embarrassment.

He looked at her scuttling body with immense hate for himself. He wanted to call out to her, telling her it was his fault, not hers, but the words just wouldn't come out. So, in shame, he looked down, unable to meet anyone's eyes. Slowly, the mansion started running again and another servant, a man this time, asked him to follow him to a hallway.

They were silent throughout the walk, and while Kasamatsu did want to talk to the servant and ask him if he could send a message to the maid who had been so kind to him that he was sorry, his glance fixated on the paintings that were graciously hung in the walls. Every few times, he would stop for a second to really appreciate and take in the beautiful artworks and the servant, who must have sensed the same thing the first time around, let him stay there.

Quietly, the art spoke to him, encouraging him, pushing him forward, letting him live. There was one painting in particular in which there were two shadows close to holding hands. As shadows, there was no distinction between man and woman but it was obvious that they were at the painful stage of moving into something more than love. It was chilling and warming at the same time, and he wondered if he would ever be like the shadow, cautiously, curiously wanting to hold someone's hand.

But there was another that chilled him straight to the bone, in which he was close to stop completely and fall to the ground. It was a portrait of a very beautiful woman with luscious blond curls, plump red lips, and blue eyes that begged to be looked upon. She was smiling slightly, as if she was reminiscing something nice, but the look in her eyes made Kasamatsu want to run away, far, far away.

Close to collapsing, he put his hand on the wall for support.

"Sir, are you ok?" The servant said in a worried voice and Kasamatsu swallowed a lump in his throat before nodding.

"I'm fine. Exactly where are we going?"

"We have prepared a bath for you while the food is being prepared."

"I don't really need one, though."

"Tetsuya-sama has requested it. He is also in his room washing up."

Kasamatsu was about to protest more but they had already arrived. He had to marvel for a bit at the size of the bathroom, which could probably fit a family of six, and realized a bit later that everything was laid out for him, even new clothes for him to wear for the night. The bath was filled with sweetly scented bubbles and there were even candles by the side, which could be lit to make it more romantic or peaceful.

Kasamatsu stripped and dipped into the bath, exhaling a wondrous sigh of relief. It was like all the loss, the stress, and the pressure all flew off into the heavens and he was here, oblivious to the chaos inside him.

He could have stayed there forever, but there was only so much he do before the uncomfortable feeling settled in again. The guilt, the shame, the embarrassment, and his own internal turmoil stacked up against him and he couldn't feel calm anymore. Quickly, he got out the bath, draining the water that slowly swirled away, and put on clothes that were not his. Curiously, they fit him well and it was so comfortable that he almost mistook it for his own. Once he opened the door to leave, a butler was waiting patiently for him.

"Sorry, I think I took a long time." Kasamatsu said sheepishly but the butler shook his head and smiled.

"No worries. Come, dinner is ready." Kasamatsu silently followed the black attired man, who was taller than he. He did his best to not look at the paintings hung and definitely looked away to the other side when he encountered the woman with blonde locks.

Once they got to the main table, Kuroko was already there, talking to the petite woman from before. Kasamatsu avoided eye contact, sitting a few seats away from Kuroko and the servants immediately served them the apparently 'leftover chicken.' Kasamatsu's eyes widened at the sight of it; it looked like it could be served in one of the most fanciest restaurants in Europe.

"Uh Kuroko, you sure this leftover chicken?"

Kuroko sighed. "It is. I told them to just heat it up but they wouldn't accept that."

"Were you always this… um…" Kasamatsu started to ask awkwardly.

"Rich?" Kuroko finished and gave him a small smile. "Yes, I was born to a rich family."

"But you don't really show it. Your former captain, the red-head, flaunts it every chance he gets."

"I do not believe that status marks who you are. Many have different concepts to how a rich person should be, how they should look like and how they should act, and while some do relate to that stereotype, there is so much more to a rich person. Akashi-kun was taught and raised to show his status and how that has impacted his life, and while that is not necessarily bad, he has become restricted of his freedom from a very young age. I, however, was not raised to be like that. My parents are very liberal and when they had me, they always made me promise not to tell anybody of my status unless I could truly appreciate them as friends."

"Admirable. Your parents raised you right."

Kuroko gave him a small smile. "Thank you."

"So, were the Generation of Miracles the first ones to visit your home?"

At that, Kuroko grew gloomy, his poker face melting that into a sad smile. "No. When I was in elementary school, I had a friend who did not care much about my financial status, even after I had told him. instead, he stayed with me because he saw my passion for basketball and admired how relentless I was in the sport."

Kasamatsu's eyes softened, already knowing that something bad had happened between these two. "He sounds like a great friend. What happened?"

Kuroko grew even gloomier, if that were even possible. "It was my fault. I did something unnecessary and that forced him to quit basketball."

Kasamatsu couldn't even imagine it. How would someone like Kuroko do such a thing? "I highly doubt you could cause something as severe as that. There must be some other reason."

Kuroko twiddled his thumbs in an uncomfortable manner. The chicken was already cold but neither was hungry enough to notice. Kasamatsu sighed. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to. Sorry for asking such a personal question."

"No, you do not have to apologize Kasamatsu-san."

"In any case, thanks for letting me stay. I don't know what I would've done if Kise hadn't called you." Kasamatsu changed the topic smoothly and Kuroko looked grateful for that.

"How is Kise-kun?" Kuroko asked in worry.

Kasamatsu rubbed the back of his neck. "I wish I could tell you but I was forced to leave before the doctor could give us the analysis. The only thing I could see was that Kise's foot was messed up pretty badly. There's a chance that he might have to go to rehabilitation."

"No. But tomorrow…" Kuroko's eyes widened and Kasamatsu bitterly smiled.

"Yeah, I know. No one noticed until it was too late. That idiot, pushing himself that hard to the point of going into rehabilitation. I should smack him when I see him tomorrow. Hopefully, they'll do something to make it a bit better."

"Please smack him for me as well, Kasamatsu-san."

The senior smiled and ruffled Kuroko's hair, not feeling as awkward as he expected it to. "No problem. I'll hit him extra hard."

The two were in a comfortable silence and Kuroko politely asked the chef if he could reheat the chicken. The chef bowed, smiling as he took the chicken, and left for a few minutes to recook it without damaging the overall structure. Then, the petite woman came back and whispered something in Kuroko's ears. Kasamatsu saw the gesture and he involuntarily stiffened, his fists clenching in an attempt to stop shivering.

Kuroko looked towards his way and frowned slightly, but not enough for Kasamatsu to see. The woman saw as well and quickly left the table. Kasamatsu hit himself on the forehead for making the servants here so uncomfortable.

He saw Kuroko studying him. "I'm sorry Kuroko. I just made things really awkward. I should apologize to her and —"

"Kasamatsu-san, it is ok. Nakashima-san will not mind it."

"Still, I made her really awkward and I probably should. Oh, and the other maid who I accidentally screamed to. It wasn't my place but I just— It was completely out of reflex."

"Kasamatsu-san, it is ok." Kuroko reassured and Kasamatsu sighed, running his hand through his hair in distress.

After another uncomfortable silence, Kasamatsu broke it with a slight shrill in his voice. "So, did you draw all those portraits hung in the hallway?"

Kuroko nodded. "Yes, I did."

"I had no idea you could paint. You're really talented."

"You do not have to flatter me, Kasamatsu-san. But thank you."

Kasamatsu felt a lump in his throat. "So, um, who is he blonde woman?"

Kuroko tilted his head. "A blonde woman?"

"Yeah, a blonde haired woman with really long curls and red lips…"

Kuroko took a moment to remember. Then, a lightbulb it up above his head. "She is merely from my imagination. I was inspired to try and draw a 'perfect woman' after seeing the Mona Lisa in real life."

"So, she's not real?" Kasamatsu asked in shock.

Kuroko shook his head. "No, she is not. Do you believe I achieved what I wanted?"

Kasamatsu unconsciously brought the image to his mind. When he did, he accidentally punched his leg. He yelped and Kuroko jumped with him.

"What is the matter?"

"Sorry, just remembered something bad."

Kuroko examined him but said nothing. Thankfully, the chef came back with the chicken and the rest of the night was spent with the two focusing only on the food.

* * *

Kasamatsu couldn't sleep. No matter how hard he tried, he just kept tossing and turning around the bed which was too soft to even describe. With such a beautifully made bed, he was so sure he would forget all his troubles; instead, he just kept recalling them and ended up turning on the lights after a particularly horrible remembrance.

He decided he would walk around and tire himself out more. He shouldn't have had to do this; after such an intense match with Fukuda Sougo, he was sure he would drop like a rock. But with the blonde woman who was apparently imaginary to those around him was right outside the guest room, and the two women he had scared away kept coming back to him, which Kasamatsu could only hung his head in shame.

Quietly, he opened the door and checked to see if there were any servants or bodyguards surrounding the room. Thankfully, the hallways were silent and he began to explore. It was a terribly large hallway, with its twists and turns that lead to other mysterious doors, and after a while, after wandering around in the darkness, Kasamatsu decided to go back. He had already imposed too much.

The really good thing about being a point guard was his exceptional sense of direction. He could tackle even the most difficult mazes on the first try. While he wasn't as good as Seirin's Izuki, who had his Eagle Eye, or Takao from Shuutoku, who was even better with his Hawk Eye, Kasamatsu still took pride in his own steely eyes.

But just as he was about to go back, he became curious. Curious to see what other rooms there were, to gaze at all the other portraits. He was traumatized but he was still compelled to look at them; there was a certain fling to the all of the portraits that just made alluring. He got the general basis of the structure of the mansion and was sure that even if he took the other way, he would still end up in the guest room. So, he went the opposite direction and touched the golden lining ion the walls. And just as he was about to turn, he saw a small gleam of light that radiated the darkened hallways.

"Who's still awake?" He muttered to himself and walked over there, tiptoeing to not make a sound. Once he got there, curiosity embodied him and he began to place his ear close to the door, to see if he could hear anything. When he heard nothing, he shrugged.

"Maybe no one's here. I should probably turn off the lights then." He said to himself as he opened the door without much care. But as he did, the golden light blinded him and for a second, he saw white. Stunned, he stood right at the door way, trying to blink away the whiteness to let himself see the bigger picture. And when he did, he gasped.

Inside was none other than a room that looked so much like an art studio, with paint splattered across the walls and floor, with canvases sprawled messily on the ground, and portraits everywhere. He would have assumed it was just an art studio had it not been for a small bed that was at the corner of the room, barely visible.

"What in the world is this?" He whispered to himself, completely mesmerized.

"Kasamatsu-san, why are you not sleeping?" A voice said and he looked down to see Kuroko, his eyes wide and slightly confused.

Kasamatsu gave out a small yelp because he wasn't expecting Kuroko at all. Then he understood.

"Shit Kuroko, I didn't know this was your room. I thought there was no one there so I thought I would turn off the lights. Sorry for barging in." Kasamatsu immediately apologized.

Kuroko didn't mind at all. "It is alright Kasamatsu-san. It is not the first time this kind of thing has happened."

"Damn, your artistic skills are amazing. You're a true artist." Kasamatsu said, peering above Kuroko's head to see all the canvases that were hung up.

Kuroko shrugged. "I wouldn't necessarily call myself an artist."

Kasamatsu lifted an eyebrow in skepticism. "I think you're highly diminishing your potential, Kuroko."

Kuroko saw that Kasamatsu was struggling to look at his work. "Would you like to come in?"

"Can I?"

"Of course. It would be my pleasure. I needed to ask you a favor anyways. Would that be ok?"

"Kuroko, you let me into your home. One favor isn't enough to show my gratitude."

Kuroko gave him a small smile. "Thank you Kasamatsu-san. Please, enter." And as Kasamatsu did, he took a small breath, marveling at the room.

Kuroko pointed to a stool that was faced the back of a medium sized canvas. "Would you mind sitting there so I can draw you?"

Kasamatsu blinked. "Draw me?"

"Yes, I finished half of the painting but I realized that I never really got a good look at you, which made it extremely difficult to finish. Is it a bit too much to ask?" Kuroko asked, his voice getting more dejected. Kasamatsu thought he was looking at a puppy for a second.

He smiled and unconsciously ruffled Kuroko's already unruly hair. "Not at all. If anything, I'm honored." He said as he sat on the stool. Kuroko's head lifted and Kasamatsu wondered if he was always this expressive. Then he realized how much Kuroko had gone through during the period of time since the first time they had a match to now. He wondered how much love Kuroko had received from Seirin to become the person he was today: happy.

He frowned for a second. "We're going have two of the most important matches tomorrow. Seirin versus Kaijo and Rakuzan versus Shuutoku."

Kuroko nodded solemnly, his hand still moving smoothly across the canvas. "Yes."

"I don't doubt our team at all. I am worried for Kise, whose foot got hurt because of the jackass Haizaki, but I will lead my team to victory."

"Seirin will not give you an easy time, Kasamatsu-san."

Kasamatsu smiled at the answer. "We'll see. Who do you think will win between Shuutoku and Rakuzan?"

Kuroko shook his head in uncertainty. "Akashi-kun is absolute. Midorima-kun will have a hard time." Then the tips of his lips raised. "But Midorima-kun will not go down without a fight."

Kasamatsu smiled as well. "Just like you guys today with Yosen. It's truly amazing, what you're trying to do here."

"What do you mean?"

Kasamatsu gave hi ma half-smile. "Please, don't even act like you don't even know. You're trying to get them to change, aren't you? Make them less into douchebags and more into really human beings."

"Do you think I am doing a good job?"

"Are you kidding? You're doing an amazing job. Kise changed so much after our first match with you guys. Soon enough, he came to practice, making strategies with us… It was almost like a miracle, having him work with us so willingly."

Kuroko nodded once more, unable to respond because he was too focused on drawing.

Kasamatsu kept going. "It just makes me wonder, you know? He must have been a complete ass during middle school. The whole Generation of Miracles, even."

"They had lost their love for basketball. They believed that no one could defeat them." Kuroko answered and Kasamatsu could see it, the five prodigies losing their smiles for a sport they once loved to death. It was almost heartbreaking.

"That's no excuse for how they acted. They were cocky players."

"I agree." Kuroko said simply.

"But now, because of you and your determination to win against them, they've all changed. I've seen some snippets of Touo's ace, Aomine. After you guys beat him, his demeanor completely changed. He's even lost his signature glare, if you know what I mean." Kasamatsu joked and Kuroko couldn't help but smile as well.

"Aomine-kun is still Aomine-kun, but I am just glad that he has changed. It is all thanks to Kagami-kun, however."

"Now, don't sell yourself short, Kuroko. If it wasn't for you, who knows what would've happened to them? You gave them their hearts back. Do you realize how hard that is to do?" Kasamatsu complimented with utmost passion and Kuroko nodded in gratitude.

"Thank you for telling me that, Kasamatsu-san. It really does mean the world to me. I am almost done with the drawing."

"Already? Can I see it after you're done?"

"Of course."

A comfortable silence fell upon them as Kasamatsu focused mainly on Kuroko's brushstrokes. They were mesmerizing and Kasamatsu felt like he was getting hypnotized.

Then, a bright red color caught the corner of his eye and he turned his head to that direction. His breath hitched and his heart started to quicken. Kuroko noticed immediately and he turned his head to see what Kasamatsu was seeing.

There, at the corner of the only dark part of the room, was a portrait of a beautiful woman wearing a revealing red dress, her red lips enrapturing anyone whose eyes bestowed upon her. Her blond curls were as radiant as ever. It looked so much like the woman he had seen in the hallways, so much like the woman who has been haunting him for years.

Kasamatsu gulped as he eyes widened. He started to shake. Why was she there?

Kuroko ran, understanding the situation immediately, and knocked the portrait from the wall. The canvas fell to the ground with a clunk and Kuroko huffed from the sudden exercise.

"Kasamatsu-san, are you alright?" He asked in a panicked tone but as he turned his attention to the upperclassman, he realized how late his question was. Kasamatsu was still shaking, no longer looking at anything. His eyes were diluted and he started muttering incoherent sentences.

Kuroko remembered Kise's words as he talked to him on the phone a few hours before.

_"Kurokocchi, please be careful with Kasamatsu-senpai."_

_"Careful? What do you mean?"_

_"You'd probably never believe me but Kasamatsu-senpai is afraid of women."_

_Kuroko blinked. "Excuse me?"_

_"I think he had a childhood trauma involving a woman or something. I don't know the specifics either. I don't think anyone in our team knows for sure, not even Moriyama-senpai. Kurokocchi, please be careful. And if he does lash out at anyone, even Nakashima-san, please forgive him."_

_"Of course, Kise-kun. I'll keep it in mind."_

Seeing the upperclassman breaking down in front of him, Kuroko clicked the final pieces of the puzzle together. Immediately he went over to him and tried to get him to snap out of it. Kasamatsu was talking to himself, muttering and muttering, not listening to anything around him.

"Please go away."

"I don't want you here."

"Don't touch me."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Kasamatsu repeated the same phrases over and over again and Kuroko needed to do something, anything. His first instinct was to hug.

The sudden contact made Kasamatsu immediately push Kuroko away harshly. The teal-haired player tumbled, hitting the stand that held the canvas. Just like the portrait with the woman, this one also fell with a loud clunk. It was enough to get Kasamatsu to snap out of it . He looked at the scene before him and saw that two things had fallen because of him: the canvas that Kuroko was working so hard on and Kuroko himself.

"Shit, shit, shit. I'm so sorry Kuroko, are you ok?" He asked in a panicked state and Kuroko nodded as he picked himself back up. Kasamatsu ran towards the fallen canvas and checked if there were any mishaps. Luckily on the back, there were none. The front was what scared him. Still, he quickly turned it around and almost lost his grip when he saw what Kuroko had painted.

It was him and Kise, right after they had lost to Aomine in Inter High. He remembered that moment so well. Kise had finally perfected his ability, the Perfect Copy, and was able to imitate Aomine so well that it was like seeing two of the same person. Kise had tried so hard, to the point where he pushed himself too hard and hurt his foot, and they still couldn't beat him. Because in the end, his power was nothing compared to the original and Aomine had left Kise on the ground after the game. He couldn't stand up on his own and was punching the floor in frustration. The simple reminder of it made Kasamatsu's heart tighten in sadness.

Kasamatsu had held out his hand for Kise to grab and in that moment, they knew they could depend on each other. It was the moment Kise knew that these were people whom he could always trust, always be with, always connect with. That moment when their hands connected was the moment Kise was finally part of the team.

Sweat marred their faces, and Kise had tears in his eyes, making it hard to distinguish between the two, and Kasamatsu was drawn to the pose that Kuroko had drawn. Kise leaned onto Kasamatsu's shoulder and the senior could tell that Kise now trusted them to be their allies and friends. And with the ruffle Kasamatsu was giving Kise, he felt something in heart that was painful but comforting.

Before he knew it, Kasamatsu had stopped shaking. Kuroko was beside him, looking at the canvas with him.

"Kuroko, you —" Kasamatsu started to say but quickly shut his mouth because he didn't really know what to say. It was overwhelming, this feeling he had, and he didn't know how to process it. It was like all the emotions he was bottling up was suddenly opened and spilling out uncontrollably.

"Why did you draw this?" Kasamatsu finally asked, not knowing how to phrase it well.

Kuroko looked at him with a hard gaze. "Because it was the moment in which I knew that Kise-kun was in good hands. He was finally able to copy one of the Generation of Miracles, Aomine-kun at that, and though he had lost, he was with reliable people. Kaijou seemed to be in a rough place, as if they had hit rock bottom."

"We had, but we got up."

Kuroko smiled. "Which is why I drew this, Kasamatsu-san. Because your past does not define who you are today. Kaijou has grown immensely strong."

That phrase. It stuck to the steely-eyed man. "The past doesn't define the person I am today?" Kasamatsu echoed and Kuroko nodded.

"It is completely irrelevant to what you are now."

"T-Then, I don't have to think about it anymore? I don't have to worry about her anymore?" Kasamatsu whispered and Kuroko nodded once more, this time more determined.

"Kasamatsu-san, you, as a captain, player, student, _individual_, are an amazing person who knows what it takes to survive in this world. You may have had troubling times as a child, and maybe the past haunts you, but it cannot define who you are today. You have proven to yourself countless of times how strong you are both inside and outside, and if you cannot see that for yourself, ask no further than to your own teammates. Kise-kun talks about you all the time, Kasamatsu-san, about how reliable you are as a person, how strong you are as a person. You were the one who picked up Kise-kun, were you not?"

"I was."

"Then what more proof do you need?"

"It's because… I am just so, so scared." Kasamatsu whispered, his shoulders trembling. Kuroko said nothing and merely stood by him, waiting patiently, calmly.

"I'm so scared. Scared that one day, my life will turn into shambles; that one person will just come and ruin it all for me. I've built myself up and distracted myself as much as possible, but anything, _anything, _will trigger my anxiety, my fear. I don't know what to do. I'm not the strong person you think I am, Kuroko. I— I'm just so scared."

"And why is that so bad? Everyone can be scared."

"But it's not me."

"Because you let yourself think that way, Kasamatsu-san. I will not ask what happened, nor do I particularly want to pry it out from you. That is something for you to confront and decide whether you want to tell me or not, but regardless of what happened, it will not ruin you, Kasamatsu-san. You told me you have built yourself up, right?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"That just proves how much your past has influenced you to do great things. Yes, the past is a turning point to the present, but only you can control what will happen. The present is in your hands and the past has already flown away. Do not try to catch something you cannot catch. Instead, focus on taking care of what you have on your hands now."

Kasamatsu stared at the canvas, stared at Kise's tears and his own will and determination.

_'We'll make it to the Winter Cup and we'll win there. We'll win.' _He had said to the blond as they walked to the sidelines. Reassurance was key but it was also having the ignorance for what had just happened and a focus for what would happen now.

_'The past doesn't define the person I am today, huh?'_ Kasamatsu thought as his eyes began to close. Kuroko led him to the bed at the corner of the room, which had the fallen canvas of the beautiful woman with red lips and blond curls. Somehow, it didn't make him worry anymore.

All he had to do was let go of the past that had been chasing him for so long.

That night, for once, he slept with no nightmares.

* * *

"We'll see you in the match, Kuroko." Kasamatsu said as they walked out of the mansion. It was early in the morning, with the sun barely rising, and both got ready to go their separate ways.

"Seirin will win." Kuroko declared and Kasamatsu ruffled his hair.

"Sure, keep saying that. Kaijou won't go easy on you."

"I would not have it any other way." Kuroko said and they both smiled at each other, albeit Kuroko's was a lot more subtle.

Kasamatsu began to rub the back of his neck as an awkward silence approached. "Um, do you mind telling the maid from before that I am really sorry for what happened? I just— I wasn't thinking at all."

"Of course, Kasamatsu-san. We both know that you did not mean it."

"Still, it was unsightly of me. I wish I could apologize myself but…"

Kuroko noticed the pause and nodded in understanding. "Please do not force yourself, Kasamatsu-san. Take it a step at a time. No one blames you."

"Thank you. I really appreciate it. I'll see you later." Kasamatsu thus bid farewell and started to walk towards the hospital. He recalled the last few moments of the night and smiled a bit embarrassingly to himself. But for some reason, he didn't feel a burden on his shoulders anymore. Instead, he felt lighter, almost like he could jump to the moon.

Several people were out already, maybe doing their morning jobs, maybe catching an early train, and he saw that within certain crowds, there were women making small talk with their companions. When he saw that, his heart clenched for a second but quickly let go. It would be hard to let go of the past but he knew that it wasn't impossible.

And for that lesson, he could never thank Kuroko enough.

"Senpai!" A bubbly, worried voice called out from a distance and Kasamatsu narrowed his eyes to see Kise Ryouta waving vigorously to him. He smiled, happy to see the sunshine so early in the morning, and waved back.

He then ran, ran as fast as he could, and slowly began to leave his past behind.

* * *

**So, how was it? Good, bad, meh? Tell me in the reviews!**

_**Portrait of Kasamatsu X Kise: s - media - cache - ak0 . pinimg originals / 9f / 28/bb / 9f28bb2 cd015328 b027315719c 0a71d6 . jpg**_

**i'm a bit rusty with my writing because I haven't had time whatsoever to write, which I'm so sorry about it. I'm workinf on college applications and school homework because I am in my last year of high school, so things are getting pretty hectic. Still, since it is Christmas and I didn't upload anything for who knows how long, I really wanted to get this done. Hopefully it does match to your expectations and I'll try to see ya'll next year haha**

**Peace,**

**FlyAndDontLookBack**


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